They All Lived Story 35: On the Virgin Snow
by LadyWordsmith
Summary: Edward, Alphonse, Roy and their wives take a little diplomatic trip/vacation in Drachma. The Drachman government wants to start an alchemy program. Things, as always, are not what they seem and events take turns no one expected.
1. Chapter 1

**September 26****th****, 1958  
**

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Edward quipped as he sat down in the chair across from Breda across the President's desk. "I never know what to expect."

Breda smirked, "I could have asked you to bring donuts."

Ed refrained from rolling his eyes, though he did chuckle. "And face Nancy's wrath? You should know me better than that by now." His sympathy for_ anyone_ only went so far, even on diets. "I thought you liked being healthy," he teased.

"I like it better than trying to give executive orders from my living room couch," Breda admitted with a snort as he set aside a pile of papers he had been looking at when Ed arrived. He had been out of work for a solid month and a half that spring before he had been allowed to return actively to Headquarters. The doctors – and Nancy – had been insistent! Privately, Edward agreed with them, but only because he had healed up from enough nasty injuries to know what it could take. Still, it had only been three months since Breda was back in the office and everything seemed like it was finally all caught up.

"So is this an executive order then?" Ed asked curiously.

"Actually, it's an offer," Breda replied. "Technically this should probably go down through Kane's office, but I wanted to offer you this mission myself." He slid a document across the desk.

Ed picked it up, confused but also curious. "A mission? What happened to _Ed doesn't leave Central?_"

"That's why it's an offer," Breda smirked. "You can turn it down if you want but it should be perfectly safe. It's a request from the Drachman government, straight from their headquarters in Petrayevka. They'd like to talk about alchemists."  
Ed snorted. "That would be a first. What do they want with alchemists? They need something to shoot at?" He skimmed the paperwork looking for the real meaning behind the political position and general crap.

"The short version," Breda did it for him, "is that they're asking for someone to come up and give them advice on how to incorporate an alchemist program into their own government work. They want to offer incentives for the alchemists in Drachma to work with the government instead of being at odds or scattered."

"They can't figure that out on their own?" Ed asked skeptically.

Breda shrugged. "Alchemists are viewed differently up there, much more mystically. The old folklore makes them little more than magicians and not always in a positive sense. The common Drachman wouldn't know what to do with an alchemist if it bit them in ass."

"Well count me out of that experiment," Ed grimaced. Still, the idea was intriguing. "So you want _me_ to go up there?"

Breda smiled, spreading his hands in front of him. "Who else would I send up to a country full of people who only understand abrasive language and growling?"

"Very funny," Ed retorted. "So you want me to waltz on up there and explain to them how to start their own State program. Isn't that like offering weapons secrets to the enemy?"

"Do you really think they can rally a group of alchemists capable of threatening our program, Ed?" Breda chuckled, and Ed bristled slightly, but only because he knew what Breda was inferring. Did Ed doubt the program he had helped create and had been teaching for thirty years?

"Of course not," Ed snorted. "Even if they wanted to it would take them generations. They don't seem to have that many alchemists anyway, forget strong ones. The only one they got to cooperate during the last altercation was Ice, and we know what happened to her," he smirked at the end.

"Another reason I thought of you," Breda admitted, matching his expression. "Not to rub it in their faces, but sending you seemed a nice bold move. You're also one of the best we've got. They'll know we take the offer seriously. You don't have to go alone," he pointed out. "They're willing to put up a full delegation. I'd say pick a couple of other alchemists to take with you on this little consulting trip. Hell, take Winry and have a bit of a vacation. We're not at war with them. We're supposed to be allies. Might as well act like it."

Ed almost laughed. "A cozy little vacation in Drachma in the winter? Yeah that sounds like fun."

Breda's smile became smugly amused. "I don't know. The first thing I'd want up in that frigid wasteland would be my wife."

At that point, Ed did laugh. "You have a point." Who'd want to freeze his rear off all night when he could have his wife snuggled up with him in bed? "I'll have to ask Winry about it," he reminded him. Breda might be the boss, but Winry trumped any order. "I can take _anyone_ I want?" An idea was forming in his mind, and it frightening him how much he was starting to like it.

"Anyone who can manage the time off," Breda agreed. "Who did you have in mind?"

Ed set the Drachman request back on Breda's desk. "Oh, just a couple of other big names I think will make the Drachmans sit up and take us seriously but decide they really shouldn't mess with us." When Breda gave him a look, he continued. "Roy and Al."

A light went on in Breda's head, and Ed knew he clearly saw the advantages to that combination. "If they'll go with you, and Winry agrees of course," Breda chuckled. "Consider it done."

Well that was easy. It was the first mission out of Central Ed had been even offered since he stepped back to just State Alchemist duties. Simple, and it was exactly the kind of mission he would actually be good for. It was growing on him. There were also other advantages. "I'll talk to them tonight," Ed grinned. "Anything else you want this mission to accomplish?"

"Don't start a war?" Breda suggested.

Ed barked a laugh. "I think we can manage that."

* * *

"So you want us, all of us, to go to _Drachma_?" Elicia asked, looking around Edward's living room that evening. Sitting with them were Al, Winry, Tore, and Roy and Riza.  
Ed grinned wickedly from where he was perched on the back of the couch. "Why not? They're not going to dare try anything stupid with me, Roy, and Al as the alchemist _consultants_ that they specifically _asked_ for, and it seems a whole lot friendlier if we bring along three lovely ladies."

"And me," Tore pointed out with a snort.

"Oh I especially want you coming, kid," Ed smiled at his student. "After all, where better to see about getting a fresh lead on the investigation than in Drachma?" He _had_ thought this through.

Tore's eyes lit up in understanding and he looked between Ed and Elicia – who was on that investigation – and then Winry, and nodded emphatically. "I'm sold!"

"Which is what really matters here right?" Roy snickered. "We all know Ed just doesn't want to spend those cold Drachman nights alone in bed."

"Just saving you the embarrassment of the stories that might get around Central if you high-tailed it up to Drachma alone with me in the winter." Ed was feeling bold enough to dare say it he was in such a good mood, and following on Roy's last comment, the connotations were not missed.

Mustang's face went red. "Damn it, Ed. That's disgusting."

"Isn't it though," Ed chuckled. In truth, the very idea made him shudder. "I wouldn't share a bed with you if we were going to freeze to death, and yes my wife is much better looking than you are. No offense, Riza," he apologized as he turned back to the matter.

"No offense,_ Riza_?" Roy arched an eyebrow.

"For insulting her taste in men," Al translated with a chuckle. "Go on, Ed, and quit making dirty jokes."

"Please," Tore looked mildly traumatized. "I understood that one."

"All right, all right," Ed shook his head. "I figured we could all use a vacation, and I think Roy's the only one of us who's ever seen more of Drachma than the uninviting side door. It's an all expenses paid vacation and we're an official delegation, so that means the good treatment too. We go up, spend a little time, see what it is they _really_ want to know about working with alchemists, give them enough information that they can't damage themselves, and come home. What do you say?" He was speaking to them all, but he looked at Winry.

His wife gave him a knowing look as she looked up from the copy of the Drachman request that Edward had brought home. "Well it does sound like something you three would be good at."

Ed grinned at her. "You know you're curious to see Drachma. It's one of the few places we've never been."

"It's going to be cold," Winry countered, though she didn't seem dissuaded by that fact.

"So I'll keep you warm," he replied playfully.

"And when we're not in bed?" Winry smirked.

"Are you going to flirt or are we going to make a decision," Roy groused.

Riza chuckled. "I think it would be a good experience. I've been curious to see Drachma for myself, and anything we can do to improve relations with them is in the interest of peace and good politics." Privately Ed wondered if she also felt it would be good to just get away for a while. Maes and Elena seemed to be doing all right. Their youngest child, Rochelle, was seven months old now, and they seemed completely absorbed in their son and daughters. At work Maes was all business. Still it had been a rough year for the family, and a vacation would probably be good for Roy and Riza. That was one of Ed's many ulterior motives.

"Do you want to go?" Al looked at Elicia.

"We haven't gone anywhere in ages," Elicia chuckled. "We keep talking about a vacation and yet we never seem to take one. I think it sounds like a fun little adventure."

All right! So that was definitely Riza, Al, Elicia, and Tore on his side on this one. "Roy?" Ed looked at him. "You can't tell me waltzing in there as an honored guest and alchemy expert doesn't appeal to you?"

"Drachmans hanging on my every word, quality treatment at the hands of men who probably hate my guts…" Roy looked contemplative for several seconds. "Well I did negotiate the _last_ two major deals we made with the country. Why stop now?" He had negotiated the original peace after Bradley as well as the truce and new agreement after the old Border dispute.

That was five. Ed turned hopefully back to Winry, who looked amused and irritated at the same time. "Do you think that having everyone else on your side will even remotely effect my decision, Ed?"

He shrugged and grinned. "It can't hurt can it?"

Winry shook her head. "Well you didn't have to go through all that trouble." Ed felt his stomach drop. Was she going to say no? He waited as a slow smile spread across her face. "I definitely think we should go."

Ed laughed and hugged her tight. "I knew I loved you."

"Now that the decision is made," Roy snorted, "When are we supposed to leave on this little jaunt?"

"A couple of weeks," Ed replied. "At least that's the timeline Breda would like; a quick response to their request. It's going to take us about two weeks of travel each way on top of however long our trip takes."

"And Breda's already said we can have that much time off?" Al asked for verification.

"He approved the idea or I wouldn't be here explaining all this and getting heckled," Ed pointed out.

"Just checking," Al chuckled. "I wouldn't have put it past you to just suggest we all play hooky for a couple of months."

Ed smirked. "Oh, come on, the only one who'd have gone for that is Roy and he's retired!"

Roy glowered at him briefly. "You're just lucky I'm not lecturing this semester."

"I guess we should all start brushing up on our Drachman," Riza commented glibly.

"Does anybody_ speak _Drachman?" Tore asked curiously, looking around at the adults.

"Some," Roy shrugged. "It's a little rusty, but I managed to negotiate well enough with what I know."

"I'm better at reading it," Alphonse admitted. "But I think I can probably get by."

Ed chuckled. "Well then you're one up on me." He had some experience with the written language, and a little with the spoken, but his own vocabulary was rather limited. "I guess I'll be doing a little studying before we go."

"We all will," Winry said. "I know a few phrases, but they're mostly related to working with auto-mail."

Ed shook his head with amusement. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'm only passable," Riza admitted.

"I think I'm in trouble," Elicia giggled even as she shrugged her shoulders. "I know almost none."

"At least I'm not the only one." Tore looked relieved.

"So one crash course in Drachman for the lot of us. I'll put it on the schedule," Ed quipped as he did make the mental note to study up. Of course he was sure anyone assigned to work with them would speak Amestrian, but it was better to know what people were saying when they didn't know you understood them too. "I'll give Breda a call and let him know what's been decided." He stood up and headed for the phone. Sure it was a Friday night, but he couldn't wait until Monday to tell Breda they were going! It had been a long time since he'd been able to go out and do something exciting. A break from the routine was something he did not want to admit out loud that he desperately needed!

**October 15****th****, 1958**

Edward managed not to bounce on his heels during the moments when he had to stand still while they loaded their bags on the train and boarded. He wasn't a kid anymore, but he was excited and anxious to be off. As soon as everything was loaded into their berths – he was very glad they had opted for full berths with beds – they all met up in the observation car as the train pulled out of the station and headed northward.

Alphonse and Elicia had taken one end of the longer booth and table in the car that would actually seat seven since it was made for eight. Roy and Riza sat across from them, and Tore had parked himself next to Roy but all the way up against the window where he could peer out. It was only his second trip by train – the last being Resembool over a year ago – and he still seemed to find the concept as fascinating as most younger kids would.

"So off we go on another diplomatic mission," Ed grinned at Al and Roy as he and Winry sat down.

Al chuckled, his arm around his wife's shoulders. "But this time with much prettier company."

"Though we still have an irritating teenager along," Roy smirked.

Tore rolled his eyes and smirked at Roy. "Are you sure it's not you that's the irritating one?"

The comment was met by several snorts of laughter that were quickly, but badly, stifled as Roy smirked back at the kid. "You want to back that mouth up with alchemy twerp?"

"Anytime," Tore replied fearlessly.

"When I say so," Ed cut in before this got dangerous right on the train! "No alchemy duels without your teacher's approval."

Tore sighed. "Fine, but it's gonna happen someday. You and me," he gave Roy one last impudent grin before turning back to the window.

"Well I'll be happy with a quiet trip," Al commented. "It's been too long since we had a long vacation outside of family get-togethers."

"Try _never_," Elicia chided her husband, and Ed watched his brother look embarrassed.

"Never?" Riza looked startled.

Al nodded. "We've talked about taking a long trip for years, but it's never worked out."

"I still think we should," Elicia grinned. "Something long and just the two of us would be nice. The last time we went on a trip alone was our honeymoon."

Roy shook his head. "Shocking Alphonse. How can you live with yourself?"

"He consoles himself with his devotion to duty," Ed teased. "When we get back from this mission you definitely owe your wife a long romantic holiday, Al."

"And you?" Winry asked Ed with one of those wary expressions that Ed knew meant he was either going to get laughed at or slapped upside the head if he wasn't careful.

Ed slid his auto-mail around her waist and pulled her close against him in the seat. "With you, Winry, every day is a romantic holiday."

"Smooth," Al chuckled.

"I give it a seven," Roy snickered.

Winry eyed him for another moment, then shrugged and leaned against his side. "I'll take it."

That, of course, was all that really mattered!

**October 18****th****, 1958**

It was almost eleven at night when Edward slipped into the berth the fourth night of their trip. Winry had abandoned the evening's festivities when it turned to cards and alchemical conversation. Elicia and Riza had followed not long after. Ed figured they had probably all talked as well, but was not surprised to find his wife already in bed. He tried to change quietly, but she stirred and rolled over, smiling at him as he stripped to his shorts.

"I was hoping you'd show up," Winry said softly. "Where's Tore?"

"Completely enraptured in Roy's tales of Ishbal and the coup against Bradley," Ed smirked as he slipped under the blankets and curled up next to his wife. "They're still playing cards with Al."

"I'm surprised you were willing to leave before it got to the part about your _patriotic heroism_," Winry chuckled, resting her head against his left shoulder and sliding one arm over his chest.

Ed snorted. "That version only gets told in the history books," he pointed out. "Roy prefers to tell it the way it really happened to anyone who knows me."

"Well he can tell it however he likes," Winry shrugged. "I know the story well enough. If his telling it gives me some time alone with you in private than its all too the better," she smiled, easily visible in the moonlight coming through the train window.

"Always the optimist aren't you?" Ed kissed her tenderly, enjoying the closeness and the privacy.

Winry chuckled. "One of us has to be," she replied quietly. "You know, this was a good idea."

"I'll make sure to thank Breda for offering me the mission," Ed said. "And thank you for agreeing that it is."

Winry seemed amused. "You're welcome. You seem to forget how easily I can tell what you're feeling. You still get bored when you do the same thing every day, no matter how much you may enjoy it. I'm just glad you thought to bring us girls along for once."

Ed couldn't help smirking roguishly. "You think that wasn't as self-serving as I said it was?"

Winry propped herself up with one elbow, her hair falling down across her shoulders and his arm. "Do I think you really just invited me along for the company in bed? Well that _is_ a good question. No, I _don't_ think so."

Ed gazed at her, his expression softening. "You're right. The truth is I'd have missed you too much. I don't ever want to leave you behind anymore." He had already learned that lesson. "Besides," he chuckled softly, "I always wish you were there when I'm on the good trips, so if I get the excuse to take you along on the State's ticket, how could I turn it down?"

Winry clearly liked the answer. She settled back down again, running her hand lazily down his chest and stomach. His muscles tightened in response. "Good answer. Now… how long do you think Roy will keep Tore distracted?"  
Ed liked to think he had decent self control, but years of experience had taught him there was one woman that, on some things, he couldn't say no to except in v_ery_ strange circumstances.

These circumstances were not nearly strange enough.

**October 22****nd****, 1958**

There was no train rail that ran through both Amestris and Drachma. There had been once, but it had been destroyed back when Bradley was still Fuhrer, and it had never been rebuilt. The northernmost station stop on the Amestrian line was two days drive by truck from the southernmost Drachman stop. It was hardly conducive to tourism, but then very few people seemed to want to travel between the two countries outside of the mercantile businessmen who put the effort into trade.

Still, the two days trip by vehicle across the border was only a minor hassle. An Amestrian military vehicle made the trip, and the stop at the customs buildings at the border took very little time since they had been notified in advance that there was a delegation coming, and who to expect! No one wanted to argue with the men involved.

"Traveling with guys with legendary tempers has its perks," Al teased Ed and Roy after they passed through the point.

"Careful or you'll learn all about the rest of it personally," Roy quipped in response.

At the end of the second day they were in the little Drachman village of Malask, which was where their railway began. They spent the night in the little inn there and retired up to their rooms after a dinner of local fare that was really not much different than the food of northern Amestris, though the Drachmans seemed much fonder of cabbage. Still, the roasted chicken was tasty, and the bread light and slightly sweet.

Ed and Winry had gotten a small two-room suite, because it gave Tore a room of his own without completely separating them in a new country. After getting settled, Ed poked his head into Tore's room. The thirteen-year-old boy was sprawled across the bed on his stomach, an alchemy book open in front of him, but his face was turned and he was looking out the low window by the bed at the village beyond.

"So what do you think of Drachma?" Ed asked as he entered, the door creaking closed behind him.

"It's… different than I expected," Tore admitted. "I mean, yeah the architecture's a little unusual, and the way things are laid out and some of the clothes… but even with the language difference it doesn't feel _as _different from Amestris as I was thinking it would. Does that make sense?" he looked up at Ed.

Ed chuckled and crossed the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Perfectly. I felt the same way the first time I went to Creta and to Xing. I felt that way on the other side of the Gate too. The truth is no matter where you go people are people and there are just some things about them that will be the same."

For once, Tore had that intently listening expression he usually only got when Ed was talking about alchemy. The kid nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Do you… do you think my Mom is really up here somewhere still?"

The real question of course. Ed would have been shocked if Tore hadn't been thinking about their unofficial mission up here. "That's what we'll find out hopefully," he replied. He wished he could promise the kid an answer, but he'd be lying for false hope.  
"Elicia has the case information and we're here to talk about alchemists. We can ask at the hospitals, but we can also see if we can track them through your uncle. If they're still around somewhere we might get a lead. They had to come this way to get to anywhere that your Mom could even conceivably get treatment." Though if they had left the main road and headed off into the wider expanses of Drachma they might never be found. He didn't say that out loud though.

Tore nodded determinedly. "We'll find out what happened, no matter what it is." At least he was accepting that it might not be good news, especially not after this long. "And, hopefully have a good time in the process," he added with a grin. "This is supposed to be a vacation right?"

"As long as you still keep up with the schoolwork your teachers sent along," Ed nodded with a grin. Taking him out of school for the trip he had gone to the teachers and made sure to get the assignments so Tore wouldn't get behind.  
The smile faded to a look of annoyance. "Yeah," Tore sighed. "I won't get behind. If I did you'd take it out of my hide in training."

Ed laughed. "You've got that right. We'll still be drilling. An alchemist can't afford to be out of practice."

"You mean you can't," Tore smirked impishly. "At least it sounds like it the way all your stories go."

Ed shrugged. "People who can handle trouble tend to find themselves in it, or get involved, whether they should or not," he added honestly. He probably could have stayed out of a lot of the trouble he ended up in over the years if he had really tried hard enough. Even so, he would probably have charged into the majority of it again given the opportunity.

"So does that count as work or fun?" Tore asked.

Snide little brat wasn't he? Ed found it endearing… sometimes. He grinned back at Tore and ruffled his hair just to be a pest. "Depends on who you ask, kid."


	2. Chapter 2

**October 28****th****, 1958 **

The Drachman train was unremarkable in any difference to an Amestrian train. It had seats, or private berths, and a sleeping car or two. It had a dining car that served food that was mostly the same though with a few local dishes that were not common on the other side of the border; like a cold beet soup served with a steaming hot potato in the center. Strange, but tasty; Ed was glad everything they had tried was good because it was certainly unusual! Drachman cuisine was something he had only dabbled in from time to time.

By the time they pulled up in Petrayevka everyone in their group had started to adjust to the cultural differences; practicing the language and getting used to the food. Ed was glad they had all packed warmly though, because the few times they had stepped off the train it had been frigidly cold!

The landscape they passed through was as bleak as it was beautiful, the mountains of Drachma not unfamiliar, but bigger here, and covered in snow. The whole_ landscape_ was covered in snow, which seemed to fall almost daily even if it was just light flurries. It didn't matter that it was not quite November; it was winter in the north.

"So much for a _warm _reception," Roy smirked as they all gathered in the aisles with their baggage and the rest of the travelers on the train to disembark.

"At least it's a friendly face," Ed retorted as he stepped out onto the platform and spotted Mark Groves, the Amestrian ambassador currently living in the embassy.

The short, middle-aged balding man grinned as he hurried through the crowd. "Ah, there you are!" he called out in Amestrian. "Please, the porters will get your bags." A couple of Drachmans moved past him to take their suitcases. "We'll be going to the embassy house first and getting you all settled in before we go over to the government district."

"Will there be lunch?" Tore asked eagerly.

Winry gave him a short look. "A little patience; I'm sure we will have lunch at some point."

Tore looked mildly contrite. "Sorry," he apologized to Groves. Ed was always impressed – and slightly irritated – that Tore took correction from Winry much more easily than he did from Ed. It probably had to do with being raised by his mother; the boy just responded more instinctively to a female authority.

"No offense taken young man," Groves chuckled. "Lunch is waiting at the house."

"Teaching the boy manners, Ed?" Roy chuckled as they followed the ambassador through the crowd.

"Making more of an effort than you ever did," Ed countered with a knowing smirk.

"As your superior officer it was my job to maintain discipline not manners," Roy retorted.

Ed laughed shortly. "You never managed that either."

"You were unteachable," Roy said.

"Izumi did well enough," Ed shrugged. "You just didn't have the right methods."

"Enough you two," Al chuckled as he walked up on Ed's other side. "Izumi would have clobbered you both by now."

"Not a bad idea," Winry agreed from just ahead of them.

"Indeed," Riza nodded. "That might prove effective."

"Been trapped together too long on the train?" Groves asked, looking back with a chuckle.

"No," Al shook his head, answering before Ed could. "It's just always like this."

Ed watched Groves' expression shift to one of amused resignation. "Then I hope the Drachmans are ready for you."

* * *

The drive over to the house did not take long and the embassy house turned out to be just that, a very large row house in a nice part of town. Each couple had a room on the second floor, and Tore even had a room of his own.

"My wife's and my apartment is the third floor," Groves grinned as he showed them where they would be staying. "We do have a staff of two who keep things clean and cook as needed. They are Ilse and Katya; both of the ladies speak Amestrian quite well so you shouldn't have to worry about communication and they're delightful to chat with. Feel free to come down at your leisure for lunch."

"I'll be right down!" Tore promised as Groves headed down the stairs. The boy disappeared immediately into his room with his bag.

Ed followed Winry into their room with a shake of his head. "He gets worse every day."

Winry gave him a wry little smirk. "He's just like you that way you know."

Ed opened his mouth to object that he was never _that_ focused on his stomach, or interjectory, or thoughtless with his questions… and shut his mouth again. He reconsidered his answer as he set his suitcase down by the bed and pulled out the clothes that needed to be hung. They were definitely going to need a good ironing before anything resembling a nice dinner. "Just tell me I'm still not that bad," he finally replied.

Winry hung her dresses next to his suits, and smiled at him over her shoulder. "Not usually." She looked at the clothes she had out contemplatively then pulled out a pair of black slacks and a dark burgundy blouse. "Do you think this is good for this afternoon?" she turned and held it up for his inspection.

Ed resisted the urge to whistle, but he grinned. "I think they'll be too distracted to listening to anything Roy, Al, or I have to say."

"Perfect," Winry giggled as she undressed. "Then they can't possibly take offense."

"And you wondered why I brought you along," Ed shook his head as he changed out of travel clothes into something a little more appropriate to the afternoon's activities as well. "With you, Riza, and Elicia I figure we could talk them into just about anything while they're distracted by Amestris'…assets."

"That may be the most chauvinistic thing you've ever said," Winry commented as buttoned her clean blouse.

"Then I guess that's a pretty good record so far," Ed leaned over, daring a likely smack to kiss her cheek.

Winry kissed him instead. "Actually it is. Come on; let's go see if everyone else is ready yet."

Downstairs, lunch turned out to be a selection of sandwich options, relatively normal, and very tasty. Tore was already half way through a sandwich when Ed and Winry got down there. Elicia and Alphonse had made theirs and were just sitting down at the table, and Roy and Riza were making their own selection.

Groves came down shortly thereafter with a lovely, slightly stout woman about the same age who he introduced as his wife, Clara. "Are there any questions before the tour this afternoon?" he asked once they were all seated around the table. This was certainly the best time to ask, without any concern for who might hear or take offense.

"Do we have a schedule for the visit?" Winry asked logically.

"Indeed," Groves nodded. "Today is intended to simply be a tour of the government district, to give you an idea of how Drachma's government currently works so that the three alchemists can consider how a program for alchemists would fit in with their system, or any suggestions that might be made regarding feasible alterations to make a program work. There has been conflict between the government and Drachma's alchemists for decades. It's a cultural thing," he explained as they ate. Ed listened with rapt attention. "Alchemy has been considered mystical, more like magic, in their history and mythology. Even today the common people are not particularly familiar with alchemy or how it works, and so they tend to be nervous about it. As the purview of _wizards_ it is not as widely practiced or trusted as it is in Amestris or Xing, or even in Creta or Aerugo."

"So why incorporate alchemists into the government?" Roy asked, scowling, though he likely knew a lot of this information from previous exposure.

"As you'll likely hear again this afternoon, the government would much rather work with the alchemists the way we do, to improve conditions in the country and to hopefully diminish the conflict between the two by helping dispel the long feelings of distrust." Groves answered Roy's question. "In the past there have been situations that ended in violence because of the divide between alchemists and the general population."

"It sounds like a good idea," Al nodded his head. "Ending violence and distrust I mean. Are the alchemists amenable?"

"That's where our hosts and I disagree," Groves admitted. "They say that alchemists are interested in hearing what they have to offer to come to an agreement. I think that while alchemists have been talking to the government, they are more interested right now in what they can get out of it. No offense meant to present company," he said smoothly, "but they've been gypped by the government before and they're skeptical."

"No offense taken," Ed replied after swallowing a bite. "Do they have reason to be skeptical?"

"That will depend on you, my friends," Groves shrugged his shoulders slightly. "At least the people in charge of this possible project are sincere in making the attempt. As to what the government is willing to go to for it, I am not privy to that information. They wanted to talk with alchemists specifically. Though I don't think they knew who they were going to get." A small smirk crossed his face. "They were probably expecting someone more along the lines of mid-level bureaucrats or pushovers."

"We'll send Marcus next time then," Al chuckled. "They can see what our mid-level alchemists are really like."

Ed snickered. "Good idea." He'd love to see anyone try and treat Kane like nothing more than a bureaucrat. "What was their reaction when you told them who was coming?" He would have liked to have seen it.

Groves' grin widened. "Oh General Elkhov nearly swallowed his own tongue, though he hid it pretty well. Chairman Akhatova scowled for about fifteen seconds before chuckling and saying he was impressed by our gall and agreeing to meet with you three specifically." The Chairmen, Ed knew, was the head of the government. Similar in theory to the President of the Military in Amestris, or the actual President of Creta, but with more authority as the head of the Council that was the governing body.

"They usually are impressed by guts and daring more than political finesse," Roy commented glibly.

"So who will be giving us our tour this afternoon?" Riza asked.

"That will be General Elkhov himself," Groves answered. "He'll wax eloquent on Drachma's military finesse, excellent government system, and the quality of their existing training programs for hours given the opportunity, and they wanted to make it clear that they intend to take you seriously."

"Or at least put up a good show of it," Ed snorted. "Well since they invited us, I'd hope that listening would go without saying. I'd hate to waste time if it's nothing more than a show put on for the populace."

"Even those can have their place," Riza surprised Ed with a calm comment. "Sometimes people need to see what's going on, even if it's not everything, to gain some semblance of peace and feel secure under their leadership."

Al nodded. "That's true."

"It is," Ed agreed with a sigh. It had happened in Amestris enough with what was given to the public to keep the peace versus what may have actually happened. There were also the public displays, like the ceremonies involved in awarding war heroes for their work. Ed wasn't fond of them, even if it was often for personal reasons, but they made most people feel confident that they were being protected and the government was working for their continued prosperity. "We'll just have to see how much they're really willing to do."

* * *

General Elkhov was entirely the kind of man Edward was expecting to be the head of the Drachman military. A tall, solidly built man who stood a good two inches taller than Al and Roy, with well-trimmed gray flecked brown hair and beard. He looked far too comfortable in his military uniform.

What Edward knew about the man was mostly his military record. Elkhov was younger than he was, enough so that he hadn't even been old enough to fight in the Border Dispute, though he remembered it and his father and uncle had done so. A family with a long line of military service, Elkhov had proven no different and risen in the ranks as quickly as it was possible to do in Drachma, handling some internal rebellious elements up in their far Northern provinces about twenty years back.  
The man shook hands with a questioning grip too, strong enough that on a lot of people it would be uncomfortable. It didn't bother Ed, who shook back with just as firm a grip. He did notice that the man had offered to shake left-handed with Ed, instead of shaking his auto-mail hand. "Welcome to Drachma, General Elric," Elkhov nodded, a brief glint in his eye saying he had noticed Ed's response to the shake. "_Generals _Elric, I should say, and General Mustang." He moved on and shook Al, Tore, and Roy's hands, and bowed over the hands of the women, though he had an odd expression as he looked at Mustang. "It's been a long time."

"It has," Roy replied.

"Do you know each other?" Riza asked, looking at her husband.

It was Elkhov who smirked, but nodded politely to Riza. "Forgive me, Mrs. Mustang. I was a boy when your husband negotiated the original peace between Drachma and Amestris, and a teenager when the border was in contention. We met during one of his diplomatic trips."

"Your father was quite the negotiator," Roy chuckled.

Elkhov seemed to relax slightly. "My father was full of bluster and intimidation tactics that were completely useless in dealing with you. I think you will find that I prefer a more sophisticated set of tactics."

"We're looking forward to it," Ed grinned.

The government district was, fortunately, a large number of buildings that were interconnected with covered and often enclosed walkways. Given the weather, Ed was glad for it. He was also grateful that Winry had insisted on replacing his auto-mail with the cold-weather stuff again for this trip. He would have forgotten otherwise. Still, the buildings themselves were well heated, and their overcoats were unnecessary as they saw the main Council room, the offices, the military offices and strategy rooms, mess hall, and one area devoted to their military history. Over all, it wasn't much different from any of the Amestrian military headquarters in form and function, just in details. There were some things about the military and government that were the same, no matter who was in charge. Elkhov was quite the tour guide, giving them lots of details and waxing as eloquent and longwinded as they had been warned to expect.

"Will we get to meet Chairman Akhatova?" Tore asked while they were in the wing near those offices.

"Tomorrow night, young man," Elkhov entertained the question without taking offense. "There will be a welcoming event for you at the Old Palace. The Chairman, Council, military officers, and heads of the noble families will all be in attendance." He looked them over as they walked. "Groves did pass on the information that you should bring your uniforms yes?"

"He did," Ed nodded. It had been made clear that the fact that he and Roy were technically retired as Generals was as irrelevant here as it was in Amestris; time served was time served and rank was rank. The fact that they were all high ranking military held more weight with Drachma than the fact they were alchemists despite the nature of the trip.

"Good," Elkhov replied approvingly. "You will wear them tomorrow night. The ladies," he smiled charmingly, "may wear whatever they like."

Ed wasn't sure how to feel about the collective chuckle that came from the three women. None of them were easily swayed by flattery. He hoped that meant they were just doing what Ed had joked earlier they were here to do; offer nonthreatening and lovely distraction. It _had_ been a joke on Ed's part. Apparently the girls were enjoying it though.

"Thank you, General Elkhov," Winry smiled her most winning smile. "I believe we are prepared for the occasion."

Elkhov smiled back. "Please, Mrs. Elric, call me Serge."

* * *

Edward waited until they were in the car on the way back to the embassy house before he said anything to his wife. "Were you _flirting_ with the General?"

Winry smirked and in the back seat Elicia laughed. "Of course," Winry replied matter-of-factly. "Isn't that what we're here for?"

Ed groaned and Al laughed behind him. "Elkhov certainly was pretty relaxed and friendly by the end of the tour."

"Calm down, Edward," Winry smiled and slipped her hand into his. "It's harmless. He knows I'm not serious and I know he's not. It's one of those political niceties."

"I knew there was a reason I hated politics," Ed sighed, but he smiled at Winry and squeezed her hand. "Just don't make me too jealous all right? I think challenging Elkhov to combat over you would be bad for the mission."

"You think?" Roy snorted from behind him. "We really don't need any more international incidents with you and women, Ed."

Ed felt his face go red and not from embarrassment. The Cretan mess hadn't been his fault! While he knew Roy had no idea what had transpired in Xing, he was reminded of that too. He forced a smirk to his face and glanced over his other shoulder at Roy. "Then I guess it's your turn, right Mustang?"

Riza stifled a smile as Roy's expression darkened. "I don't think that's likely," he replied sourly.

"Yeah, you're right," Ed chuckled as he turned around. "You've got to be good looking for that to happen." He was glad for his instincts. Moments later he ducked as Roy took a swing at his head!

**November 1****st****, 1958**

The evening and the next day were mostly time for settling in and getting used to Petrayevka, as well as preparing for what amounted to another State Dinner, only fancier; more like the affairs Ed remembered from Creta if he had to guess. Xing had been the only country he had been in on the continent that had forgone a huge public affair and preferred to do things more privately. Ed liked that about Xing. Still, he found himself oddly not dreading the evening's event.

Even so, it was all he could do not to grimace as he finished adjusting his military uniform so it fit just right and everything hung properly. Ed hadn't touched the thing in years. It had hung, unused in his closet, where he hoped it would stay. His hair was back but just in a tail and not braided.

"Aren't you fidgety this evening," Winry commented as she stepped up behind him and reached around, adjusting his collar and the braid on his shoulder. "There," she smiled and he could see her face in the mirror. "You look dashing."

"I look official," Ed groused. "It's uncomfortable too."

"Oh?" Winry looked him up and down in the mirror. "It looks like it fits to me."

"That's part of the problem," Ed couldn't help admitting. He wasn't entirely sure why it irritated him that his uniform still fit perfectly, even if it was a little stiff from having been pressed and starched before being hung up. Old memories he supposed.  
Winry's smile softened and she stepped around in front of him. "Just relax. You look about as pleasant as a porcupine."

"I'm about as prickly with all this metal on," Ed snorted, gesturing to the chest full of medals. The Drachmans really did expect full regalia. He looked up at Winry and really _looked_ at her. For a moment his irritation was nearly forgotten. "Wow."

Winry took a step back, hands behind her back as she smiled playfully. "Do you like it?" She wore a floor-length red evening gown with a black sheer layer over the entire thing that made it seemed darker, and to shift colors as she moved. The strap was a loop around the neck, leaving her shoulders and some of her back – though not too much – exposed. Her hair was twisted up in the back, though the front was down as always. To fit the occasion, there was a brooch where the loop met the rest of the dress, set with rubies, since a necklace would have hung funny, and in her ears diamond studs and, dangling beside them, a familiar pair of earrings Ed hadn't seen in quite some time.

"You look fantastic," he couldn't help grinning. "I really am going to be fighting men off you tonight." He brought a hand up to the earrings that looked like transmutation circles, but not quite. "I almost forgot you had these."

Winry chuckled. "Making a statement," she replied as she put her arms around him.

"They're just little silver earrings," Ed pointed out, smiling as he put his arms around her waist. "They're hardly worth anything."

"On the contrary," Winry shook her head. "You bought them for me; if that doesn't make them priceless than how about the fact that they're from another world?"

"You have a point," Ed couldn't help but feel mildly nostalgic. That had been in France a very long time ago. "They still look good on you."

"I'm glad you think so," Winry replied softly, leaning in for what turned into a very long, involved kiss.

Ed was only half-jokingly considering saying screw Drachma and staying here with his wife until there was a knock on the door. "Darned interruptions," he sighed as the kiss broke. "What is it?"

"I have no idea how to tie this thing," Tore's voice came plaintively from the other side of the door.

"I'll help him," Winry smiled as she stepped back regretfully. "He probably needs to brush his hair too."

It only took a few minutes to get Tore in order. Ed knew the kid was probably more nervous than most of the rest of them. After all, he hadn't been on a diplomatic mission before and he _was_ just a kid. Formal affairs weren't his specialty. "Just be polite and answer anything they ask you in Amestrian," Ed said reassuringly as they headed downstairs. "Other than that, eat and look interested."

Tore grinned, looking a little more relaxed. "I can do that."

When they got downstairs Ed couldn't help but notice that Elicia and Riza were just as done-up as Winry. Elicia's evening gown was a deep green with straps and a v-neck and her hair fell down loose in waves around her shoulders. Riza looked, unsurprisingly, every inch the wife of the former President of Amestris in a gown that matched the blue of their uniforms perfectly, but was just a shade darker. It was daringly strapless, but she wore a silk shoulder wrap that matched it, trimmed in gold fringe.

"She'd be in uniform if she could have gotten away with it," Roy smirked as he helped his wife put on her warm overcoat for the trip over.

Riza smirked at her husband. "I haven't worn my uniform since I retired."

"I bet it would still fit though," Ed chuckled, getting in the compliment before Roy could so much as open his mouth.

"I don't recall giving you permission to steal my lines," Roy looked sharply over at him.

Ed shrugged. "I don't recall ever needing your permission."

"All right," Al shook his head, smiling amusedly. "We don't want to give them the idea that we quarrel amongst ourselves do we?"

"Oh look," Ed turned his facetious mood on his brother, "Al's suggesting we should be dishonest."

Roy picked up fast. "Alphonse I'm ashamed," he shook his head. "Where did you learn such deceit?"

"My older brother was a bad influence," Al retorted without missing a beat.

Elicia giggled. "Don't get into it too, Alphonse, or we'll never get out of here."

Groves and his wife joined them then and it was time to go. It took two cars this evening with everyone involved. Edward, Winry, and Tore rode over with Groves and his wife, with the rest in the car following.

The Old Palace turned out to be just that; the palace that had once housed the royal family of Drachma back when the country was a monarchy. It was an impressively large building that rivaled the ancient Cretan structures in size and artistic décor, though it was in much bolder designs and colors that were warm and bright against the bleak landscape and sky. All lit up for the occasion from inside, at least at the end the clearly held the grand ballroom, it looked very inviting.

The inside was splendid; huge vaulted ceilings with large sparkling chandeliers, with everything painted in creams accented in burgundies and other dark jewel-like colors for accents. There was gilding everywhere.

"Imagine what it would have cost to build this," Elicia commented in soft awe, admiring the artwork in the halls as they were escorted to the dining room.

"Drachma was once a much wealthier nation," Roy commented softly. "In the years after the overthrow of the monarchy there were leaders who were no more magnanimous than their predecessors. A lot of the country's wealth was squandered. They've tried to regain that glory ever since."

When they arrived at the door to the ball room – which was set up for both dining and dancing, with the floor in the middle – their coats were taken and they were shown inside to their table. As they entered Ed heard their names and ranks announced to those already gathered. They may no longer be a monarchy but they retained a lot of the trappings.

The Amestrians were all seated together at one table, which was right beside the tables that held the Chairman, Council, and their families. As they reached the table a tall, regal looking gentleman in his mid-forties approached. He wore fine dress attire in the black of the Drachman military though he was clearly not a military officer despite the similarity of the cut. The fabric was a fine silk, brocaded black on black, trimmed in gold. Elkhov was with him, and Edward guessed that _this _man was Chairman Nikolai Akhatova. Behind him the Council stood respectfully.

::General Edward Elric, General Alphonse Elric, General Roy Mustang, ladies,:: Akhatova smiled as he stopped in front of them. ::Welcome to our country. General Elkhov has assured me that your needs have been met and that you have had the opportunity to see our illustrious government in action.::

Ed certainly wondered what had actually been said, but for now it was time to play along, especially in front of this glittering audience. ::Thank you, Chairman Akhatova,:: he replied with a smile and he shook the man's hand. ::General Elkhov speaks accurately. We had a wonderful tour yesterday. It was very impressive.::

That seemed to be the right response. Akhatova chuckled as they dropped hands. ::Excellent. I hope that tonight is as impressive and you all enjoy yourselves. May the rest of your stay in our country be pleasant and productive.::

Productive; naturally. Ed nodded. ::Thank you. I expect it will be.::

The introduction over, the Chairman returned to his table and they were seated for what proved to be an elegant – and certainly costly – five course meal that included salad, a cabbage soup, roast boar, a bread dish stuffed with a bold white cheese and herbs, and a rum cake soaked in blackberries and wine, though the alcohol was cooked out of both. Edward was grateful for that! He suspected it was mostly because the noble families had often brought children. There were quite a few kids from a little under Tore's age and up.

The food was delicious and Ed managed to get away with drinking water since he was seated entirely with friends. There was a long list of alcoholic beverages he did not take advantage of despite the selection of rare and expensive options. "This is really a feast," he commented as he finished off dessert. Even _he_ was satisfied.

"They've been pulling out all the stops to make a good impression," Groves replied softly as he sipped his glass of wine. "This might have remained lower visibility if it weren't for having three Amestrian State heroes with high political influence here."

"We do seem to be drawing the crowd," Elicia nodded, speaking quietly. Ed had noticed that as well. There were a lot of people who glanced casually in their direction, curiosity overcoming any worry of being thought impolite for looking. Though they tried not to be noticed.

"It's the beautiful ladies," Roy quipped. "They're all ogling or jealous."

"I suspect the ladies are more interested in you boys," Winry chuckled.

"Nice to know we haven't lapsed into the category of_ distinguished older gentlemen_ yet," Ed replied. From his own much more successfully subtle glances, he definitely thought they had three of the loveliest women in the crowd, even including the younger generation. Also the most elegantly – and currently – dressed even according to Drachman custom. Ed wondered just how much work Winry, Riza, and Elicia had put into being prepared for this.

"Girls of all age love men in uniform," Elicia pointed out with a sensible little nod. "Most also have, but won't necessarily admit to, a thing for older men."

"Which explains how you fell for Al," Roy chuckled softly.

"It's difficult to find men that have the maturity level of a woman, _Uncle_ Roy," Elicia continued, tweaking him with the term of endearment she hadn't used in years. "We have to settle for men our age, or find someone older who has finally matched us in maturity."

"Hey," Ed gave her a mock glare. "What are you saying?"

"That I settled, or that you matured early," Winry suggested playfully. "Take your pick, Ed."

"I'll take the latter," Ed replied, letting Winry give Elicia the out. He wasn't about to admit that both were probably true. "So what else do we do tonight?" he looked over at Groves.

The ambassador smiled. "Make nice with the locals. Now that dinner is over the dancing and general mingling will start soon. You will be approached by a lot of people who are curious about you, your mission, and Amestris. Talk, dance, drink, whatever you like."

Ed sighed and sipped from his glass of water. "In other words, the usual politics."

* * *

"Do you remember the last time we danced in a ballroom like this?" Riza asked Roy as they moved easily and effortlessly across the dance floor until the chandeliers, mixed in with dozens of other dancing couples.

"Other than last New Year's Eve?" Roy chuckled as he turned her. She looked stunning, and he was getting a lot of satisfaction out of the looks on the other men's faces. It did not matter Riza's age, as far as Roy was concerned she never looked older, only better.

"You know what I mean," Riza shook her head ever so slightly as she shot him an amused little grin over her shoulder before he pulled her back in. "We haven't been on a diplomatic visit anywhere together since you resigned."

Roy realized with a slight twinge of guilt that it was true. He had been to Xing since then, but Riza had not come along. There was no reason he could not have taken her off on a trip either, especially not the last few years. With him retired there was nothing to stop them from doing whatever they wanted. After decades of working for the country, they should take time for themselves. Still, that rarely seemed to happen. "I'm sorry."

Riza sighed. "I'm not asking for an apology, Roy. I'm simply saying it's nice. It reminds me of good days, when we worked as a team like this."

When they were just _them_, or when Maes was still young and they had all gone on trips together. "Would you like to do this more often?" Roy asked, wondering why it had never occurred to him to ask. It rarely did until Riza brought something to his attention. "We could visit Argyros this summer. He's always asking us out to that estate of his along the sea." Roy really couldn't imagine now why they never seemed to have time.

Riza pressed close against him as they spun. "I think that sounds like a delightful idea."

Roy flashed a confident, teasing grin. "Of course it does; my ideas always do."

Riza giggled. "Of course they do, Roy."

* * *

Tore stood to the side of the room, sticking near Fullmetal and Mrs. Elric as they talked and made their way through the group. When he was introduced he was polite, but since he knew very little Drachman he was fortunate to only really have to interact with the adults who cared to try to converse with him in Amestrian. He had never been so glad to be ignored in his life!

There was one thing, however, that kept his attention in the room. That was all the girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen. There had to be at least two dozen of them, all in evening wear as elegant as their mothers' if simpler in the cases of most of the younger girls.

One particularly pretty brunette in a lavender dress kept glancing his way and smiling. It made Tore's stomach flutter, but not unpleasantly. They spent several minutes making scattered eye contact before Tore decided he was bold enough to make a move. They were supposed to make a good impression right? Putting on a friendly smile and trying not to seem nervous he walked over to the girl and her little group of friends, bowed politely, and gestured to the floor in a way that clearly said _want to dance?_ Silently he was grateful for the basic lessons Mrs. Elric had given him before the couple of State affairs he had been to in Amestris. Tore might not be a dancing expert, but he could do a basic waltz!

The girl looked momentarily startled, but pleased. She handed her glass of punch off to a friend and stepped over to Tore, taking his arm. Swallowing his nerves, Tore escorted her out onto the dance floor as the next dance began.

Thankfully it was a traditional waltz and Tore had no problem leading the girl through the steps. They were about the same height and she knew how to dance at least as well – almost certainly better – than he did. Of course, she probably came to these things more often and had since she was a kid.

The next dance was one he did not know, but it didn't look too complicated, and she seemed to take some delight in showing him the steps. When it was over, they moved off to the side for more of the punch provided for the youngest guests and caught their breath.

"That was fun," the girl smiled at him, speaking in heavily accented but understandable Amestrian. It was pretty. "Thank you…"

"Terrence," Tore found himself introducing himself properly. That was how they had announced him this evening after all, as Edward's student and by full proper name. It was easier than confusing the girl.

She giggled. "I am Irina," she replied. "I do not get asked to dance often."

"Why not?" Tore couldn't imagine that. Well, okay so most guys their age didn't dance, but surely around here they did?

Irina shrugged. "My brothers make them nervous I think, though really they do not care who I dance with. So it makes little difference."

"I guess." Tore hadn't seen any evidence of angry overprotective brothers anywhere, so they couldn't be too much trouble. "You speak Amestrian really well," he complimented as he realized they were talking entirely in his own language now.

"We are encouraged to learn the languages of the countries Drachma trades with," Irina replied. "My father thinks it wise. I should get back to my friends." Before Tore could blink she leaned over and kissed his cheek, then turned and headed off.

As she walked away into the crowd, Tore felt a hand land on his shoulder. He startled and looked up into Fullmetal's grinning face. "Smooth moves kid."

Tore snorted and shrugged. "She looked like she wanted to dance."

Fullmetal nodded. "I'm sure, but do you know who she is?"

"Her name's Irina." Tore bristled slightly. What was he getting at anyway?

Fullmetal chuckled. "Yeah, Irina Akhatova. She's the Chairman's daughter."

As the enormity of what he had really dared to do set in, Tore felt a little _less_ cocky.

* * *

As the night grew later, Edward relaxed and found himself enjoying the party despite – or perhaps because of – the pomp and circumstance. Despite what had happened over thirty years ago, there were few people here who seemed to hold any animosity towards him or Roy. Certainly there were plenty of people who did not approach, or who seemed to be sizing him up, but Ed didn't mind that. No one was being outwardly hostile, which meant he could ignore them. He hadn't come expecting to be liked.

The Amestrians seemed to be making quite the impression actually. He'd been amused by Tore's unwitting daring in asking the Chairman's daughter to dance, and glad his student was proving to have some instincts for this kind of thing and the common sense to use the good manners he possessed. Roy knew some of the people here and he and Riza seemed right at home in the midst of politics. That was completely unsurprising.

Al and Elicia looked like they were having too much fun to worry about politics. Given how rarely they got out of Central together, that was one of Ed's ulterior motives for bringing them along. They chatted with various military officers and old nobles, danced, and just seemed to be having a good time. That, he noticed, put their hosts at ease as well.

Winry drew crowds on her own, though fortunately Ed had managed to avoid being dragged into auto-mail modeling so far. Drachma was a market that Rockbell Auto-mail had not yet branched into and he knew she was dying for a bite. Finally he was able to draw her away for another dance and then a few moments of peace and a drink. "I'm beginning to think Breda agreed to my selections just because he knew we wouldn't be too drunk to do our jobs," he chuckled softly. "I'd forgotten just how much they like to drink up here." He had noticed that the atmosphere had relaxed a lot, and the supply of beverages been well depleted.

"Are you doing okay?" Winry asked with quiet concern.

Ed smirked. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a just a chance to try a lot of very subtle and judicious uses of alchemy. This stuff is foul when it's not alcoholic and not mixed with something by the way," he added. He'd had Drachman vodka before. It wasn't great straight to begin with in his opinion. Without getting drunk off it he couldn't see why anyone would drink it otherwise. That might be why there was no attempt to make a non-alcoholic version; sparkling potato juice? He shuddered slightly at the thought.

"I'll keep that in mind," Winry chuckled, taking his arm. "I hadn't really been paying attention, but you're right. That would certainly explain why Lord Gurina seemed more interested in my breasts than our discussion of auto-mail."

Ed raised his eyebrows, then grinned. "Winry, I hate to say it, but I think most guys are more interested in your breasts than discussing auto-mail."

"Oh?" Winry looked up at him with an expression somewhere between amused and dangerous. "I'll have to remember that the next time you and I are discussing your next upgrade."

"As long as I'm the only one you show off for when you're talking upgrades," Ed squeezed her arm with his, enjoying the banter. "Otherwise I might have to get violent."

"And that's a difference from your usual behavior how?"

"Normally I don't go around maiming your customers," Ed pointed out.

"This is true," Winry pretended to look contemplative, but Ed could tell she was just playing now. "All right, that's fair I suppose."

"So," Ed asked, "When's the next time you wanted to talk about auto-mail?"

* * *

Alphonse could hardly remember the last time he had relaxed and had so much fun. It was strange that it would happen at a state dinner in a foreign country, but having Elicia with him definitely made the difference. He was used to going on missions and missing her; writing back and bringing gifts. Having her along was much better!

His beautiful, vibrant wife had proven to him one more time that she was always more adept than people thought, especially in political circles. Gracia had raised her as an officer's daughter and she made the perfect officer's wife, despite the fact that many men might have found her too opinionated, too outgoing and independent.

Elicia had talked easily with people despite the language difference, charming almost everyone they met. By the end of the evening Al was reminded again why he had fallen for her in the first place.

Al was feeling relaxed and contented when they got back to the embassy later that night. He was fairly certain he wasn't drunk. He rarely indulged at all, but it would have seemed odd and rude if their entire party had turned down their host's hospitality. Besides, he enjoyed the occasional taste of something new. "Did you have a good time?" he asked Elicia as they were undressing in their room. He folded his uniform pants and hung them on the hanger before putting the jacket back as well.

"Wonderful!" Elicia grinned, spinning in just her slip before she finished hanging up her dress. "I never knew how much fun I was missing out on staying home while you went gallivanting all over the continent."

"We go on trips together," Al argued, grinning as he placed his hands on her bare shoulders. Okay, so they were usually very short weekend getaways.

"Not like this," Elicia countered, smiling back at him as she turned in his arms. "I've never been out of Amestris."

"Sure you have," Al objected, though the blurted statement stared at him after he said it. He realized he couldn't think of a single time she had come with him on a trip that left the country. "Haven't you?"

Elicia shook her head. "The only vacations you and I have taken in years were family ones," she said gently. "The longest _just us_ trip we took was our honeymoon."

Al felt immediately sheepish. "No wonder you've been so enthusiastic about planning a long holiday." He really hadn't taken her very many places, and given her adventurous nature that seemed like a crime somehow. "When we get home I promise I'll talk to Breda about a good long chunk of time off for both of us and we'll have a time of it all right?"

"I love you," Elicia's eyes lit up and she pulled him down toward her and kissed him soundly.

Al returned it, enjoying the feel of her against him, her slip sliding across his bare chest; so warm and supple, full of life. He let one hand fall to the small of her back. On instinct he steered her to the bed and Elicia followed willingly, eagerly pulling him down with her as he lowered her onto soft clean sheets. The hour didn't matter. The fact that they had to be up at a decent hour was irrelevant. If they were both in the mood, Alphonse was not going to question further!

It wasn't until much later in a tangle of sheets that they cuddled...and Al drifted off watching Elicia sleeping beside him.


	3. Chapter 3

**November 2****nd****, 1958**

Morning found Edward, Alphonse, and Roy back over at the military headquarters in the government district with General Elkhov and a couple of his subordinates, Under-Generals – or so it translated – Obukhov and Rost. Obukhov was old, crusty, and frowned a lot. Rost seemed to be more akin to Elkhov and the Chairman in terms of age and vision.

They started off with a more detailed tour and explanation of the way Drachma's military was currently set up and functioned, as well as some of the history. Some of it was old news, some of it was new, but the three alchemists listened to it all as if they had never heard it before. It was interesting to see how much of it lined up with what they had heard in the past or experienced personally.

When the tour and lesson were finished they found themselves sitting around a conference table back near Elkhov's main offices, with cups of coffee and a lot to think about as Rost explained to them the situation with the alchemists of Drachma. It followed pretty much in the vein of what Groves had told them, at least at first. "The difficulty we're having now is the fact that the alchemists seem to have little use for us," Rost explained in heavily accented Amestrian. "We had made offers in the past, but they show little interest or demand more. We're not sure what it is that is unappealing."

"So you want to talk to alchemists and see if you can come up with an offer that might actually meet their needs," Ed finished the thought.

"Exactly," Elkhov nodded. "Something that will actually make them want to work with us instead of in opposition."

"Opposition?" Roy looked up.

"It's no secret that the alchemists do not agree with the government on many things," Obukhov snorted. "There are reasons we had only one alchemist on the Border."

Ed looked up sharply. "Ice," he commented. She wasn't the only Ice wielding alchemist he had ever fought, but it had been the only name he had to call her by.

Obukhov looked irritated but nodded. "She was the only one who accepted our offer. None have since. Before that there were periods where alchemists were treated with suspicion, so it's no wonder they went into hiding and prefer to seclude themselves as they work on their experiments."

"Social issues are going to require more to change them than just a good deal," Al pointed out sensibly.

"Still, we need a place to start," Elkhov continued. "That is why we asked you to come. Your country had employed alchemists in its military for quite some time, but it was not always the case. We need to offer a program that will appeal to them and show them we can work together. Trust will only come with time."

There was the crux of the problem; trust. Not all of the alchemists, but at least some of them, had to trust the government to keep its word on a deal that was worth taking up or be desperate enough. Ed knew that. "Trust may be where you need to start."

* * *

By the time they finished talking and broke for lunch – and in the case of the Generals, other meetings and work – Edward was beginning to see how difficult installing a functional program for alchemists in Drachma was going to be.

"This is going to be a bear," Roy commented as they piled into the car to go back to the house and get the women and Tore for the afternoon. "Obukhov is about as traditionalist as they come. I suspect he's only on that committee to keep the old dogs happy."

"We'll come up with something to suggest," Ed shrugged. "It's not like we're required to come up with an answer. We're being consulted not paid." He looked over at Al and nudged his brother in the side with one elbow. "Not that you were much help."

"Hey, I made suggestions," Al argued.

"Twice," Ed eyed his brother. "Did you even sleep last night? I really didn't figure you for the guy I had to worry about having too much fun on this trip." He looked back over at Roy.

Roy laughed. "Be glad you don't share a wall with his room."

Ed snickered as his brother looked mildly embarrassed, then Al shrugged. "I slept," Al replied with a smug smile. "Eventually."

Ed shook his head. "I'm beginning to regret offering to bring the girls along."

"Oh like you're any better," Al elbowed him back. "Don't even try to tell me you went home and went right to sleep. That would be too responsible for you."

Ed shrugged. "Okay, you caught me on that one," he admitted. As if he ever turned down a little night fun with Winry. "But I'm more functional than you are this morning."

"Give it up," Roy rolled his eyes. "You just have to pick fights with everyone."

"I'm not picking a fight," Ed argued, then sighed and gave up. That wasn't one he was going to win. Not the way Roy liked to set up arguments. He turned back to Al. "Fine, but if you drag like you did this morning I'm going to have to insist we do more sparring practices while we're here."

Al shrugged. "Fine with me; prepare to get beaten."

"As if that'll happen," Ed rolled his eyes, grinning.

"Can't you two take it easy?" Roy groaned.

"Never thought I'd hear that from you, Mustang," Ed chuckled. "You should join us. We can give the Drachmans a little demonstration of what State Alchemists are capable of."

"I suppose a chance to show off and intimidate without actually harming anyone does have its merits," Roy commented, considering the option. "Though it's not always wise to give away your strengths to the enemy."

"What are we giving away?" Ed snorted. "They already know what the three of us are capable of. It's not like that's classified information."

"True," Roy rubbed his chin thoughtfully then shrugged. "Let's think about it later. If we're still talking business this afternoon Riza will get irritated with me."

Ed chuckled. "Well we can't have _that_."

When they got back to the house the girls and Tore were all ready to go. It was time for the fun part of the day; cultural immersion! Groves and his wife were going to show them around Petrayevka.  
"So what did you do this morning?" Ed asked Winry as the cars headed out for their first stop.

Winry smiled. "I took a long hot bubble bath, read a book, and then we all decided what we were going to be doing this afternoon. Clara had some great suggestions."

"This means there's going to be shopping doesn't it?" Ed asked, trying hard not to groan.

"Only some," Winry chuckled. "Elicia, Riza, and I can do plenty of that on our own you know. We don't need you guys following us around to protect us in the middle of a city."

"I know," Ed shrugged, actually relieved that he wouldn't be dragged through too much shopping. It wasn't like any of the women in question were inclined towards opulent spending anyway. "So what did you ladies decide we're doing today?"

"Well after lunch we thought we'd hit their national museum," Elicia piped up. "They have some fantastic art on display, as well as technological displays and the usual historical stuff."

"That sounds like fun," Al nodded enthusiastically.

Ed was good with that. He enjoyed cultural sites almost as much as Al did. Maybe there would be some further information on alchemy in Drachma there as well. If not, he would make a point to hit their national library. Just because no books on the subject had ever been translated didn't mean there weren't any. "So what's for lunch?"

"How did I know you were going to ask that?" Winry asked, amused. "It's Mark and Clara's favorite restaurant. It's a little local place that's supposed to have some of the best Drachman food in the city." Which meant it was the kind of food the regular people ate every day. Ed was glad. As much as he enjoyed any food, he preferred home cooking to a high end meal the majority of the time.

"Sounds good to me," Ed replied. "So, what did you do all morning?" he looked at Tore, who was staring intently out the window.

"Huh? Oh, homework," Tore stuck his tongue out. "I got an entire week's worth done this morning. Can I come with you guys tomorrow instead?"

"A whole week. That's pretty good," Ed nodded. "Is it correct?"

"I looked it over," Winry confirmed.

"Then sure," Ed smiled at his student. "If you'd rather listen to us dicker about politics you're welcome to come along. Sometime in here we might finally get to talking alchemy. Now, what's so interesting out that window?" He leaned over and peered out curiously. He saw nothing in particular that caught his eye; just people on the street on a busy, frigid day going about their business.

Tore turned slightly pink, but he grinned even so. "There were some really cute girls on the corner back there."

Girls? Oh great. It was starting already. Ed groaned.

Al chuckled. "It looks like we'll all find something to appreciate today."

* * *

Winry thought they had done a pretty good job picking today's venues. Lunch was delicious and much more the style of thing she might cook at home if she were trying Drachman dishes. Edward certainly seemed to enjoy it. She could see why it was a favorite of the Groves'.

After that they went to the museum which also turned out to have something for everyone. Winry loved the exhibits on their technological and medical history. Elicia seemed entranced by the section on the history of Drachman clothing as well as the art. Riza and Roy spent a lot of time examining their military history and weapons. Al nearly got lost in their historical section, and then the girls found all four guys – Tore included – spending a very long time looking at the very small mentions of alchemy and the stories that involved it that could be found in various spots. It was almost like a scavenger hunt, finding the little bits and pieces to put together any information they might not have gotten before.

"That's enough staring boys," Winry finally said as she walked up to them with a smirk. "That paragraph isn't going to change or divulge any more information if you just keep glaring at it."

"Very funny," Ed replied, though he did stand up straight and face her, stretching. "So what's next on the schedule?"

"A little activity," Winry smiled. She was looking forward to the next event on the schedule even though it was going to be cold. "We thought it might be fun to go ice skating before dinner." It wasn't exactly something that was doable in Resembool. Even in the winter when it snowed it hadn't been cold enough for the lake or the river to ice over enough to be safe for skating. Not that some kids hadn't tried anyway. Central occasionally got cold enough, but who had the time?  
She was relieved when Ed grinned. "That sounds like fun," he agreed.

"Sure it does," Al agreed. "Let's go."

Tore looked just as eager. Roy didn't look quite as excited, but Winry suspected he would have fun in spite of himself.

They drove over to what turned out to be a park with a dedicated skating pond. It was kept smooth and fresh, buffed every night by a large machine that Winry would have loved to take apart but was sure it would never be allowed. There was a building off to one side that was heated but had large windows for viewing the skating rink and a café that sold hot beverages. That was also where skates could be rented by anyone who did not have their own though it seemed like most people around here did.

"It's a regular pastime," Groves informed them as they put on skates. "Have fun."

"Have you ever done this before?" Elicia asked curiously.

Winry smiled. "Me? No. I was never foolish enough to try it on the ponds in Resembool. If they iced at all it was always thin." She looked over at Ed and Al. "However_ some_ people were still inclined to try."

Ed smirked playfully. "Hey it was fun! Pitt and I only crashed through the ice once."

"Twice," Al corrected immediately. "You almost pulled me _in _trying to get you out the last time!"

"It wasn't that bad. Don't be so dramatic," Ed shrugged as he tied his skate on and stood up. "You were out there too."

"Only to save you," Al countered as he stood up. "Mom was so mad at you. We were both soaked."

"Yeah," Ed smiled, but he looked nostalgically happy at the memory. "She made us made us take warm baths and we bundled up under blankets by the fire and had hot chocolate."

"What a harsh punishment," Riza chuckled. "Shall we?"

"Of course," Roy grinned offering her a hand. Together they stepped out onto the ice and skated off.

"Something tells me they've done this before," Ed muttered.

"Well Roy has been up here before," Winry pointed out as she took Ed's hand. "I have to admit I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be," Ed grinned. "I'll catch you."

"And if you fall down?" she asked playfully.

"You have so little faith in my sense of balance," Ed replied daringly. "Come on, let's go." He stepped out onto the ice and Winry squeaked slightly as he pulled her with him!

Her feet touched the ice and Winry was glad she was ready and that Ed had a good grip. He hadn't been bragging – well not much. He did have a good sense of balance and while he didn't take off he was still standing when she clutched his arm. "Don't make me regret this," she looked at him sharply.

Ed grinned broadly. "Oh come on, Winry. Don't you trust me?"

"Only as far as I can shove you," Winry teased, pushing at him and nearly sending them both over as he grabbed her to keep her from toppling. "Which is apparently not far!"

"Hey I could have let you fall," he teased, interlacing his gloved fingers in hers. "Let's try this again."

Winry smiled and complied and within a couple of minutes they were moving around the ice at a fairly decent pace. "This is fun," she smiled, watching her breath puff in front of her in a white cloud. "It's not nearly as cold as I thought it would be."

"The exertion warms you up quickly," Ed replied, clearly enjoying himself. Winry was glad.

"Exertion does that," she smirked suggestively.

Ed glanced over at her, catching her look, and startled her by pulling her sideways into him without losing momentum. "So I've noticed," he grinned. "It's been too long since we just had fun! You're a genius you know that?"

"Some people have said so," Winry raised her chin slightly and grinned back. She loved watching him smile. No matter how old they got, he always looked as impish and alive as he had as a teenager when he grinned like that. "How's everyone else doing?" She looked around, feeling sure enough on her feet to do so with Ed there.

Roy and Riza were out a little further towards the middle, moving at a faster pace, also skating together with a stately grace that made Winry sure they had both skated before. While they weren't doing anything complicated like some of the skaters out in the very center who were spinning and doing small jumps and playing around, they did look more like they were dancing.

Tore was moving along by himself but the kid seemed to have a knack for anything that required balance and was moving along as fast as he could manage to without running anyone over or sliding into anything.

Al and Elicia were moving along a little slower than she and Ed were, laughing as they both slipped from time to time and clung to each other, though Al seemed to have a better hang of it. Not that it was surprising that he would, but it was still cute to watch. He was too focused on Elicia to keep his attention on what _he _was doing.

"Makes you sick doesn't it," Ed commented, but Winry caught him smiling again when she looked back around at him. "They're just too cute aren't they?"

"They always have been," Winry shrugged. "Did you expect anything to be different?" As she watched him, she realized that he looked rather satisfied. "This was part of your whole scheme wasn't it?"

"Who me?" He asked with exaggerated innocence. "It's not my fault my little brother can't seem to find the time to take his wife someplace exotic."

"Actually," Winry argued, still smiling, "It is. You're the one who told Breda to offer him the Program."

"Oh, well that's true," Ed conceded. "So I guess this balances things then doesn't it?"

"Hey check this out!" Tore called as he caught up with them at a good clip, this time he was going backwards. "Pretty cool huh?"

Winry giggled. "Very," she replied. "Just make sure you don't run into anyone!"

"I've got it," Tore promised, still grinning as he glanced over his shoulder as he went around the turn.

"He's a natural," Winry commented as she watched him. It was nice to see a look of pure exhilarated joy on the kid's face. He was so often serious, or stubborn, that it was easy to forget how young he was. He reminded her of Ed in ways that made her heart ache for him.

"We could do that," Ed replied. "You want to try?"

"No thank you!" Winry replied vehemently. "I much prefer being able to see where I'm going."

"Oh spoilsport," Ed laughed and sped up just enough to get in front of her and turned to face her, skating backwards without letting go of her hand. "See! It's not so hard."

"You just don't grow up do you?" Winry laughed, nerves edging the sound.

"Would you rather I act my age?" Ed responded. "We could be sitting on the sidelines watching and I could be griping about my stiff joints."

"_Are _they stiff?" Winry asked.

"Not a bit," Ed smirked. "Not now that they're warmed up anyway," he spun back around to skate beside her facing front-wards again and she relaxed. No, he definitely didn't act like he would be sixty in three months. Of course, he really didn't look like it either. If Winry hadn't known him, she would have pegged him for only being about fifty. Heck, Al looked like he was only in his mid-forties. None of their group, she realized, really quite looked their ages. They were too active and healthy. Roy, perhaps, was the only one who looked his age, and even then it was distinguished and attractive, not old and decrepit.

"No, I'm definitely glad you don't act your age," Winry sidled up against him. "You're grouchy enough without it."

"Hey!" Ed looked down at her, and while his expression was offended she wasn't entirely sure she believed it. "Have I been grouchy on this trip?"

"Not much," Winry admitted. "I like it."

Ed brought his arm up around her shoulders. "So do I."

**November 3****rd****, 1958**

The next day proved to be about as productive as the first. Edward learned quickly that there was a definite split in the military and the feeling in the government in general in regards to this idea of an alchemist program. Some people were eager to be able to match the abilities of Amestris, and some honestly wanted to mend the rift between the alchemists and the average citizens. Others, however, would probably rather alchemy was wiped entirely out of Drachma as an area of study. This was part of why they had trouble offering anything that the alchemists would find appealing or be sure they could trust it.

The second morning was spent mostly in filling in Elkhov and the other two generals about the history of alchemy in Amestris. They also covered a little of the mess with Bradley and why their people had distrusted State Alchemists to explain why so many alchemists had abhorred the State years back.

"The State offers a lot to alchemists that's hard to get elsewhere," Ed explained a bit later on. "Access to classified alchemical information, large budgets for research. As long as a licensed alchemist continues to prove they're worth it and does their duties as the State sees fit, the rewards and opportunities are fantastic."

"But the State has to prove trustworthy," Al added. "For a long time that wasn't the case."

"It sounds like it might be easier to train alchemists from scratch," Obukhov snorted.

"You could," Roy shrugged. "But you'd need someone willing to teach them, which means you need to convince at least one skilled alchemist to work for the State."

"Still, finding an offer that would appeal to one alchemist might be easier than one that appeals to many," Elkhov replied contemplatively. "And might be easier to get through committees and garner government approval. Training alchemists loyal to the State instead of trying to win over those actively opposed, at least to start," he shrugged.

It was a different tactic, but then was it really so different from what Amestris had now? They did pretty much train their alchemists, though most came to them with some learning already. Those who showed up with no prior knowledge usually did not last. Some came back in later years, some didn't.

"So you have more than one option," Ed nodded. "Whatever you do, once you prove that you have something that's beneficial to Drachma and to the alchemists, I think you'll find you get more volunteers."

Rost definitely looked interested. Obukhov seemed thoughtful but just as grouchy about the subject as yesterday. Elkhov was taking them seriously. "So we do," he agreed. "We will discuss them and think on it some more. Thank you for the information and the ideas. We will talk more tomorrow."

It wasn't voiced as a request, but Ed wasn't going to complain at a foreign General who was used to simply giving orders. He also took it as a polite dismissal. "Sounds good," he replied as everyone stood to go at roughly the same time.

"So what did you think?" Ed asked Tore as they walked back through the halls towards where the embassy car was parked. The boy had been allowed to come as he had asked, and he had spent the entire morning sitting quietly and listening to the men talk. Ed was definitely curious what his student had gotten out of the experience.

To his credit, Tore did not give a typical flippant teenage answer like _boring _or _I didn't get it._ Instead he looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think Elkhov really wants this to work, Rost just wants whatever's best for the government, and Obukhov thinks none of us are much better than dog crap."

Roy snorted a laugh. "That sure seems to sum it up doesn't it?"

Ed had to admit it did. "That it does. So which do you think is the better option?" he posed another question to his student. "Should they train their own alchemists or try and recruit them?"

"I think it's easier to recruit one than many," Tore shrugged. "But they need a good teacher or it'd be dangerous to try and train them. I mean, without someone who knows what they're doing you get a bunch of second rate alchemists who might do something stupid out of ignorance or thinking they know more than they do. Right?" He looked up at Ed, obviously curious as to whether or not he was near the mark.

"It's as good an answer as any," Ed grinned back at him. "You're right about that much. There's nothing worse than half-trained or badly trained alchemists who don't know their limits or what they definitely shouldn't do." He hated to think what that scenario would look like. Most likely it would be terribly destructive and Ed wasn't sure if that destruction would happen first internally, or if that force would be unleashed outside of Drachma. He didn't really want to contemplate either. But then, this was why they were here. If Drachma wanted to do something with alchemists and the military than hopefully their advice and guidance would help it be a positive thing.

Tore was clearly pleased at the praise, though more for being right than being praised for it. "Or alchemists who don't follow the rules?" he dared to ask, and Ed got the feeling the kid was expecting to be reprimanded for it.

"Exactly," Ed replied instead. He knew that Tore was referring to what had happened with Ed and Al. The kid knew that story and others. Ed had made a point of telling him the horror stories he told his adult students about the alchemists he and Al had seen and what happened when alchemy was abused or perverted. "That's what we need to prevent here as much as possible."

"Without overstepping our bounds," Al stepped into the conversation. "It's not our country. All we can do is advise them the way they asked and hope they listen."

Roy shrugged. "It might not even go anywhere as split as the government is on the issue."

"That wouldn't be bad." Ed would be perfectly happy if nothing changed in Drachma, if only because it meant that the situation was a known quantity and they would know what to expect on the northern border for a while longer. "So, enough about work, let's go find something to eat."

"Was that your real mission, Ed?" Roy asked. "Did Breda send you up here to sample the food and report back?"

"Oh of course," Ed nodded with _complete _seriousness.

"Is lunch going to take long?" Tore asked, looking mildly anxious.

"Is that a problem?" Roy turned his attention to Tore. "You eat as much as Ed does."

Tore scowled. "Very funny. I'm serious. Miss Elicia promised we were going to do some investigating today."

That was right. They were going to hit the Petrayevka police offices and talk to the government intelligence office. "I'm sure it won't take too long," Ed promised Tore with a reassuring grin. "There'll be plenty of time to see if we can get any new information or help in finding your Mom."

Tore looked immediately relieved. "Okay, great. Let's go! I'm starving." He bolted ahead of them as they hit the doors and he headed for the car that was parked just outside waiting.

Al laughed and Ed shook his head in bemusement. "So much for wanting to know how fast lunch would be," Al commented.

Ed shook his head. "On the contrary, lunch will take only as long as the slowest eater."

"Or the one who eats least," Roy added.

"In both cases, that's probably Elicia," Al smirked. "Tore better learn to be patient."

"He probably will about the same time we did," Ed replied.

Al looked no less amused. "In other words… never."

"Yeah, pretty much."

* * *

They split into two groups that afternoon. Edward, Elicia, and Tore – with a translator – hit the military intelligence offices as well as Petrayevka's police headquarters which contained their national police headquarters as well. They asked a lot of questions and tried to get information, or at least future cooperation, in the search for Tore's missing mother.

The best news they got was willingness on the part of the government and police to keep an eye out for her like any other missing person, circulate the picture and see what happened. This late on a cold trail they weren't particularly confident that she would be found either. Still, it was better than nothing.

There were no reports of her per se, but they did find out one interesting tidbit that Ed hadn't known before, and that was that there were several missing people around Petrayevka over the last few months. It wasn't enough to be a rash of incidents, and they were usually poor folk or homeless, people most folks wouldn't miss, but it was interesting. Ed knew even Central had those; Tore's mother being a prime example. The thing that was interesting was that at least half of the missing incidents had involved suspicion of violence.

"It happens in big cities," the translator commented. "Especially in the winter people will go missing, usually dead from exposure if they don't seek out the provided shelters."

A sad reality. Ed hoped that Tore's mother wasn't among those who had been lost to the weather. Still, there was one more set of places to check and that was the hospitals. They had no more luck there. There were two hospitals in Petrayevka and a couple of smaller clinics that specialized in the kinds of treatments that Tore's mother might have sought out. None of them had ever seen her or Tore's uncle.

"We'll see what turns up," Elicia said reassuringly as they walked out of the last clinic and climbed back into the car.

Tore nodded as he climbed in and sat in the back next to her. "Yeah," he replied. "At least we know that if she was gonna get treatment this is the only part of the country that would've had doctors who could do it." The best medicine available in Drachma was here. Even the doctors had said that from what it sounded like his mother had, they had no treatments for it either.

"Which means even if they haven't seen her she's got to have come up this direction," Ed agreed, trying to sound reasonably positive. It didn't look good though and Tore seemed well aware of that fact. "We can backtrack down the rail line for information this way too and see if they stopped in any of the other towns."

"It's possible they didn't come up this far," Elicia nodded. "Let's let them work and go have some fun for now okay?"

"Sure," Tore shrugged. "So, what are we doing?"

"Meeting up with everyone else at Petrayevka's biggest shopping center," Ed snorted. "It's all indoors and heated I'm told."

"It is," Elicia nodded, grinning. "Clara was telling us all about it yesterday. She says you could spend days in there without looking through every store."

"Great," Ed replied lamely. _Days of shopping… Whoop-de-flipping-do._


	4. Chapter 4

**November 4****th****, 1958**

Winry hoped the boys were having a productive morning. She, Riza, and Elicia had gone out on their own for a little shopping and had spent the entire morning trying on Drachman fashions, as well as hitting a few more unusual and unique places where women were apparently not frequently seen here; like the gun shop Riza had wandered into and Winry_ had_ to get to a tool store!

They were laden with packages as they walked back towards the embassy house. Today had been surprisingly balmy – for Drachman weather – and it wasn't really a long trip. So since they knew the way there, the girls had decided to walk so they could experience the city without driving past it all.

"I'm getting hungry," Elicia admitted as they walked back. "Thank goodness it's almost time for lunch."

"Nothing like a good brisk walk," Winry chuckled, grateful for their warm winter coats! "Though I suspect the boys will be just as hungry after sitting in chairs all morning trying to get their points across." Winry knew that Ed was a little frustrated with the situation, and Al and Roy were too, at least as far as convincing the conservative part of Drachma's military that this program was even a good idea.

"We'll find out soon enough," Riza commented as they cut down one of the smaller, rambling streets; this one being the most direct way back.

::That's what you think,:: a strange voice came out of the shadows that blocked the doorway of one of the buildings. Winry barely understood him, and was almost startled that she had at all, though her grasp of Drachman was already much improved from their few days here.

::Who's there?:: Riza asked sharply in Drachman. ::Show yourself.::

::Fearless; that should make this fun.:: The man stepped out of the doorway. He was tall, and seemed to be muscular under his thick coat. He also held a gun. ::Come along quietly, ladies.::

::And what if we don't?:: Riza replied flatly.

Winry's heart leapt, but she did her best not to show fear. Riza's strong front helped.

::Then you'll be coming along anyway,:: the man smirked. As he spoke, five more men seemed to materialize around corners and out of doorways. Two more had guns, the rest knives. ::We get good money for the pretty ones.::

::Flattery is pointless,:: Riza snorted as she set down her bags. ::We're not going.::

"Riza," Elicia whispered from behind them. She sounded terrified. "Wouldn't it be wiser to go quietly and wait for rescue?"

"Do you want to trust that they'll keep us alive either way?" Riza answered just as quietly. Apparently their adversaries didn't speak Amestrian, or at least not well. They were still smiling. "If this is political, they need us alive anyway."

::Come now,:: the man advanced, gun pointed at Riza, whom he seemed to take as the de facto leader. His smile was gone. ::You're trying my patience.::

::You're trying mine,:: Riza responded.

Winry waited for demands of some kind; otherwise why else would they want the three of them specifically? They hadn't asked for money and clearly wanted the _women. _

Her answer came when a bullet ricocheted off the ground at Riza's feet from one of the other men. Riza stepped back and another man rushed in with the knife and a length of rope.

Rope. Definitely kidnapping. As if that was going to happen! Winry reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the only weapon she had available – her wrench she always kept on her for when Ed did something stupid to his auto-mail – and smacked the man rushing Riza.

Another gunshot rang out, Elicia screeched, though it seemed to be with fear and not pain, and as Winry brought her hand back to hit again, she saw Riza pull her own gun and shoot at their assailants. With the fast pull the shot missed, but suddenly the men looked nervous as their apparent boss dove away.

::Take them!:: he bellowed and chaos ensued as they attempt to get a hold of them. What the hell was this about?!

They obviously hadn't counted on the fact that Riza never went anywhere unarmed, even now; perhaps especially not now in a strange city.

The scene quickly devolved into a nasty brawl as Winry pulled away from grasping hands and dodged the knives, laying into anyone who pawed at her with her wrench! This was bad. Riza shot out several more times until Winry knew she was out of ammunition; though not in vain. Two men went down screaming, injured; one lay dead.

But they had backup.

More men joined them and Winry found herself overwhelmed even as she knocked one of them in the forehead. Something slammed into her temple and she reeled as pain exploded on the side of her head and she felt herself momentarily slip towards unconsciousness.

"Winry!" she heard Elicia shout, but then heard her cut off with a yelp as Winry fell to the ground, which slammed up hard against her.

Winry tried to get up but through blurry eyes she could see Elicia also grabbed and being tied, and Riza fighting but losing the struggle. There were too many… too quickly. Winry tried to call out that she was alright; to reassure Elicia, to fight back… but blackness claimed her first.

* * *

"Perhaps we should reconvene later this afternoon," General Elkhov suggested a little after one o'clock. "A meal and a little rest might help us bring…fresh perspective to the discussion."

"That would be a good idea," Edward agreed, taking a deep breath and keeping his temper under control. This morning had been trying. Once they had finally laid out a reasonable option, old Obukhov had finally started in with the very long list of reasons it was a bad idea and simply wouldn't work and the public would never accept it. Ed had done his best not to get into an all out argument with the man, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold it in. Even Roy looked irritable. Al simply looked resigned to having to deal with the disagreements and had taken the lead for a while on countering Obukhov politely.

Coming back this afternoon meant shifting plans around, but he figured the girls would forgive them for being late for lunch and having to move things around some.

"Let's do that," Roy nodded, standing up and stretching. "I hate thinking on an empty stomach."

"Don't we all," Elkhov smirked.

There was a sharp knocking at the door of the room.

"Enter," Elkhov paused, a crease in his brow.

The door opened and one of the administrative aides entered looking very agitated. "Excuse me, Generals," he bowed deeply and spoke in thick Amestrian. "I am sorry to interrupt."

"It better be important," Obukhov muttered.

The aide blanched. "I… that is… we have a situation, Sirs." His eyes darted to Ed, Al, and Roy, then back to Elkhov. It made Ed nervous. "It seems that… the ladies are missing."

"What do you mean _missing_?" Ed blurted immediately, fighting past the instinctive mental freeze-up that threatened. His throat clenched. Winry!

His exclamation was nearly run over by Alphonse and Roy's equally upset responses and a shocked gasp from Tore.

The aide looked like he wanted to die. "They… they were late returning to the embassy. Ambassador Groves found shopping bags and signs of struggle in a side street. Blood, drag marks, a dead body in the alley; the snow was all scuffed up with tire marks and footprints and there was….a coat on the ground with Mrs. Elric's…" his eyes flickered between Ed and Al as if trying to identify the right General and wife. "Umm… Mrs. Winry Elric's name on it."

"What is this?" Roy rounded angrily on Elkhov. "Kidnapping on the streets in the middle of the afternoon? What kind of operation do you run in this city!"

Winry… Ed felt rage snap. "When the hell did this happen?" he roared. Someone was going to hurt, and badly, when he was through with them!

"Calm down!" Elkhov replied to them both with a short, sharp response. "Please, I'm sure the police are getting to the bottom of this."

"Like they have the other missing people?" Ed rounded on the three Drachman generals. "If anything happens to any of those women, Elkhov, you're going to have a lot more on your hands than a few missing persons."

"Are you accusing our security forces of laxness?" Ubokhov growled.

"Would you like to prove differently?" Alphonse startled Ed with the ferocity in his voice. Then he turned back to the aide. "_When_ did this happen?"

"Not more than an hour ago," the aide stammered. "It was reported as soon as the Ambassador could reach a phone. The scene is already being investigated."

That fact only made Ed angrier. "Then why the hell weren't we notified earlier?" Winry was someone's captive – he refused to consider she might be dead; political hostage was such a likely motive – and the trail was getting cold! He shoved past the man toward the door. "Let's get going," he shouted back to Al and Roy. "We'll show them just what State Alchemists are for."

He was brought up abruptly by General Rost stepping in front of him. "Edward," he looked down at him with a surprisingly hard expression. "You don't know what you're getting into."

"I never do," Ed shrugged. "It's never stopped me before. Get out of the way, Rost."

"That's not what I mean," Rost shook his head, and sighed. "The kidnappings… you're right, these aren't the first."

"Rost, shut up!" Obukhov barked, clearly displeased.

"No, go on," Ed looked suspiciously between the two men. This was something he definitely wanted to hear. "What about these kidnappings. This isn't politically motivated?"

"Doubtful," Rost admitted. "There have been plenty lately and, while there's no real evidence, the investigations imply that the people are being sold."

"Sold!" Al exclaimed. "As what, prostitutes?" He spoke the word with disgust and horror.

Ed didn't much care for that option either, but Rost's response was negative. "No. To… to alchemists outside the city."

"Alchemists?" Roy snorted. "What would alchemists want with…?"

"Human Transmutation?!"

All four of the alchemists shouted at once, and Ed felt horror on top of the fear and fury mounting. "Shit!" He shoved at Rost again. "Let me through!" They didn't have time to waste. If alchemists were using humans for experimentation that only meant bad news, and likely alchemy long-ago illegalized in Amestris.

"Wait, Ed!" He felt Al's hand close on his shoulder. "We need a plan and more information."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Ed rounded on his brother.

"I'm not," Al replied flatly. "But I'm right."

"We don't know where the alchemists are located," Elkhov provided the information reluctantly. "But we've had issues with them for some time. The government has left them alone for the most part up till now to avoid all out confrontation in the hopes of some sort of truce."

"Or a way to control them?" Ed snorted as he got the gist of what Elkhov was saying. "So much for philanthropic patronage and teamwork, General. They're not taking starving homeless anymore."

"You'd better hope that the ladies aren't harmed," Roy agreed with a threatening rumble. "It would have taken a lot of effort to take Riza out, or Winry for that matter. I'm still not convinced there isn't some political motivation here. It sounds like they'd have every reason to want to interrupt your discussions with Amestrian alchemists."

That seemed to be all the information Al wanted, because he nodded. "Let's go."

Ed turned and headed out the door like a shot, picking his pace up to a run and not caring if Roy, Al, or Tore kept up, or who saw them doing it. He_ had_ to find Winry!

* * *

Alphonse was panting by the time they reached Edward's destination of choice, which turned out to be the police station. Ed was apparently just after the location of the crime scene, but they were brought up short when the officer on duty told them they had two injured men in custody out of which they had pulled Amestrian bullets.

"Riza's work," Roy confirmed with a nod.

::Your wife goes shopping armed?:: the officer looked at him oddly.

::She used to be a sniper,:: Roy replied with a casual shrug. ::She never goes anywhere unarmed.::

"Not anywhere?" Ed smirked as they were lead back to talk to the men.

"Except there," Roy replied smugly. "And then it's on the dresser or under the pillow."

"You didn't worry about assassination attempts much did you?"

"Nope."

The two men were in a cell, conscious and bandaged, but clearly unhappy. Well, Al was fine with that. He was doing his best to fight the irrational panic that had flooded him the moment he heard Elicia and the others were taken. Riza and Winry were tough, they knew how to defend themselves, but Elicia really didn't. Even in Investigations in the military she had never been trained in much combat or any real self-defense. She wasn't a coward, but how would she stand up to assailants who had been able to overwhelm the two strongest women Al knew?

::Where are the women?:: Roy asked, heading up the questioning since he had the best grasp of the language.

Both men sat silently until Roy pulled out a glove and slipped it on his hand. They watched him dispassionately until he snapped his fingers and one's hair lit on fire!

::Ahhh, aaaaahhh!:: The man hoped up and down until he felt over and the flame extinguished against the wall. ::We don't know!::

::Where is the alchemists lab?:: Roy asked another question, keeping his fingers held up where the two men could see them.

::We don't know that either,:: the other man babbled, more cooperative. ::But we…we know where they usually get picked up,:: he continued hastily when Roy's fingers closed a little. His eyes were wide.

Al wasn't usually a fan of scare tactics; but right now he was all for it. He was aware of every second wasted.

::Well?:: Was all Roy asked.

The two men quickly told them that it was a rather seedy pub outside of town at the edge of the Western road. That was where they always met their contacts who would pay for the men or women they brought in and take them away in a truck. That was all they knew; neither of them had been on the pick-up runs very often. They were just hired muscle.

By the time the three alchemists left the police station, Alphonse was trying very hard not to lose it as bad as Roy and Ed already seemed to have. They were all furious, but Roy and Ed seemed ready for a little destruction if it came to it. Normally Roy wasn't that quick to pull out the fire for something as small as questioning already captured men.

They ran back to the embassy and borrowed the car to drive out to the edge of town; it was faster than going on foot and they were already getting winded from running around town. The worst part was that it started snowing again; thick wet snow that had them half-frozen before they hit the embassy, and wet and sodden even as they climbed into the car after a short argument with Tore, who they insisted stay there.

"But I can help!" Tore argued angrily. "Why do I have to stay here?"

"Because that's an order," Ed stopped the argument cold. "You do what I say or there won't be another alchemy lesson until we get home."

Tore had glowered angrily, but relented.

The snow made driving difficult and while they had gotten directions, Al was sure they got lost at least twice on the way to the edge of town. Al wasn't sure how happy he was that Ed was driving, but he closed his eyes and simply tried to stay calm.

_Hang on, Elicia. I'm coming! Please just be all right._

* * *

By the time they got to the pub in question, it was already five in the evening and dark. The heavy low clouds tinged pink by city lights and swirling snow did not brighten the scene. There were very few vehicles parked out front; none large enough to handle bodies. Roy did not find this even remotely comforting. "All right," he nodded sharply as they got out of the car. "Let's get what we need and get out of here."

"Nervous?" Ed asked him with a smirk despite the anger smoldering in his eyes that had nothing to do with Roy.

"Hardly," Roy chuckled, feeling no amusement. "I just find mingling with the riff-raff distasteful." The irony dripping from his words was almost tangible. Roy had certainly started out life no better; but anyone who delayed him in any way in locating and rescuing Riza was going to discover that the Flame did not just refer to his alchemy, but his temper as well.

"Then by all means," Ed agreed, "Let's finish this."

Roy's cautiousness as they strode into the bar much more confidently than he actually felt was not due to fear of the occupants but his lack of preparation for the mission. They were running into this blind, in an unfamiliar city, in a culture where he didn't know the subtleties of the differences in how things worked at this particular level. He was woefully out of practice at dealing with scum.

The scum in question stared at them with veiled suspicion, though at least in their coats Roy, Ed, and Al did not look distinctly foreign. Too bad that fact wouldn't help them long. The place was heated, dark, and smelled of alcohol and tobacco smoke.

Roy decided to make this short, sweet, and simple. He didn't really care about stealth at the moment. The men had to know who they had captured by now if they hadn't from the start and time was of the essence. Let them know he was coming; Roy could handle them. ::I need information,:: he said to the barkeep as he sauntered up to the bar.

::And I need money,:: the man – large, bald, and probably intimidating to most people – smirked. ::You going to pay?::

::I have a better idea,:: Roy held up his hand, making sure the alchemical symbol was clearly visible, but only to the barkeep. He leaned in just a little. From the look on the man's face he at least recognized an alchemical symbol when he saw one. As Roy had hoped, the cultural fear was as strong as he'd heard. He hated to make use of it now, but it would work to their advantage. ::You'll tell me what I need to know and I won't torch your entire establishment and leave you penniless. This is an investigation and if you don't want Elkhov himself down here you'd better cooperate.::

The man looked at Roy as if waiting for a bluff to fail… which of course never happened. ::What do you want to know?:: He finally replied.

::Three women went missing today in Petrayevka,:: Roy explained. ::Three _Amestrian_ women; looking like they're in their late forties or fifties; all blondes. Likely in the company of several men. We were informed that your establishment has been used as a place of _business _in human trafficking. Tell me where they went and I won't turn you in.::

Roy spoke softly. While they were being watched, the lack of violence bored the people quickly. Conversation buzzed mutedly around them and Roy wondered what Al and Ed were doing behind him that kept them from staring openly. He didn't glance behind him to look though. In a reflection in the glass behind the bar he saw them playing _guards_ and glowering silently. Well, that worked.

::They went West,:: the man replied softly. ::Didn't see the women, but I heard them talking about the deal. I don't know where they take them, just that it's more than a day West of here down the road and not in Mishta; next town over.::

It was a place to start at least. West, into the mountains. _Fantastic. _::That all you can tell me?:: Roy asked, hoping for anything more useful than a direction down a road that surely had forks and other roads off it. The trail was already getting too old for his liking.

::All I've got,:: the bald man replied with a steady expression. ::But you'd better hope you're as important as you claim to be tossing Elkhov's name around in a place like this. You'll be lucky to make it to the door otherwise.::

::Do you pay attention to the news?:: Roy smirked.

::Sometimes,:: Baldy replied. ::When it matters.::

::Well check it in the morning and see how much it matters,:: Roy replied before standing up, putting his hand down, and turning. "Come on, let's go," he said shortly to Ed and Al. They all turned and headed for the exit.

Roy didn't breathe again until they stepped out into the falling snow and icy wind.

"Nice work," Ed commented as they climbed back into the car. "I caught most of that. We go West right? Let's get going!"

"We can't," Alphonse commented miserably.

"Why not?" Roy glanced sharply over at Al, surprised by the man's sudden reticence. "We're already hours behind them damn it!"

"Look outside," Al snorted, gesturing at the windows.

Roy turned to look forward and Ed did at the same time. Together, they groaned.

The car was already covered in half an inch of snow. The front and back windows were blanketed. They had been so distracted getting in they had paid no attention to how much was mounding up.

"Even after we clean that off, there's no way we can make any progress in this storm," Al finished making his point. "We don't have provisions for a several day trip either."

"Damned common sense," Ed growled then sighed heavily. "You're right, Al. _Damn it_!"

"Shit." Roy smacked his hand into the seat and resisted the urge to torch something. Though that gave him an idea. "Let's go back to the embassy," he finally said softly. "We can't do this without supplies. We don't have any way to help the girls if they're injured or to keep us alive if we get stuck in this damned storm."

"First we have to clear the car off," Ed pointed out with a grumpy nod of acceptance.

Roy held up his hand as he opened the door again. "Leave that to me."

**

* * *

**

It was one of the longest nights of Edward's life and that was saying something. It took them over an hour to make it back to the embassy and then there was a flurry of activity as arrangements were made to borrow a more appropriate vehicle for heading off into the Drachman winter – a military truck by the time Groves was off the phone – and two Drachman military officers along with it to make it _legal and official_ to make for less trouble.

Ed doubted that would really help much but would take anything they could get. Food provisions were also in the works as well as medical supplies that Ed could only hope would not be needed in any large amount. He was having trouble concentrating on anything other than the driving need to find Winry and the fact that they would be delayed until sunrise at least.

No one had much of an appetite despite the very nice dinner the two house-ladies had prepared for them all. It was rare for Ed to lose his appetite, but worrying about Winry was one of the things that did it every time. It reminded him too much of the time when she had left him, and he had to resist the urge not to raid the quality selection of liquors in the pantry.

Roy apparently had no such compulsion. He didn't eat much, but he did retreat to the sitting room with a glass of whiskey.

"Do you know what Riza will say when she finds out?" Ed commented flatly, almost hoping to stir up a good fight. He could use one to clear his frustrations.

"I hope you get the chance to rat me out," Roy replied, glowering out of his eye as he walked past the table and headed out of the room.

"Do you have to be antagonistic, Ed?" Al grimaced as he took a bite out of his stroganoff. He was the only one eating, but Ed took that as a sign of how much stress they were all under as anything else. His brother was worried about Elicia.

"Better than numb," Ed countered, referring to no one in particular. "Or drunk."

"I heard that," Roy growled from the other room.

"Good." Ed stood up, suddenly itching to be moving. He really was going to provoke a fight if he stayed downstairs. "I'm going to bed."

"At nine o'clock?" Al looked startled.

"Figured I'd get a head start on the insomnia," Ed retorted, heading upstairs and leaving his plate mostly untouched. He went up to the room, shut the door, kicked off his shoes and dropped onto the bed. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling in nothing but lamplight. Outside the window, snow swirled thick and white.

Never before had Edward hated snow so much; not even at Briggs. It had always seemed gentle in Central; melancholy perhaps, but peaceful. Here it was harsh and unfriendly, and it was keeping him from Winry.

Hell, he was going to tear whoever had taken the girls apart when he found them! Ed crammed his eyes closed, refusing to cry. _Winry's alive. She's fine._ He just had to keep telling himself that. They weren't going to use Winry in alchemical experiments. They'd figure out who they had kidnapped and ransom them. There was no price that Amestris – and Drachma, damn them if they didn't help out – could not afford he was sure, and Ed would pay out of his own pocket every cent he had to get Winry back.

He needed her… a deep painful ache filled him from his head to the depths of his belly. _I should have been there damn it! _They had been running late, the girls were on their own. If he'd only been there to protect Winry. That's what he was supposed to do. Now she was missing, possibly hurt, who knew where and here he was lying in bed doing absolutely nothing! He lay there, berating himself until he lost track of time.

There was a quiet knock at the door.

"What is it?" Ed snapped without budging. He wasn't feeling hospitable and he didn't care to try.

The door opened and Tore poked his head in. "Hey, Fullmetal…sir I… can I come in?"

He sounded surprisingly hesitant. Ed glanced over at him and realized Tore looked at least as upset as everyone else. He felt guilty. He hadn't given the kid much thought since he had first heard about the kidnapping. "Sure, kid," he replied. "What's on your mind?"

Tore closed the door and stood there, fidgeting. "I… I'm worried about Mrs. Elric, and Miss Elicia," he admitted softly. "And Mrs. Mustang of course," he added hastily. "I couldn't read and I couldn't sleep."  
Ed sat up. "I can't sleep either," he admitted, touched by Tore's concern. Of course, Winry was hard for any kid not to like, and Tore was clearly fond of Elicia too. "We'll find her," he replied, hoping to reassure himself as much as the boy.

"I know," Tore replied as he moved forward into the room. "I want to come with you."

Ed opened his mouth to object but shut it again when he saw the determined – and familiar – light in Tore's eyes. Izumi had always groaned about young boys having _that face_. "It's likely to come down to a fight," he pointed out. "With alchemy given what we're heading into. And I can't promise to protect you."

"I'll protect myself," Tore responded immediately. "You've been training me for almost two years. I think I can handle it."

Ed couldn't help but crack a smile. "You probably can. Fine, if you want to come, come, but you do as I tell you while we're out there if you don't want to get yourself killed." The last thing he wanted to do was lose the kid trying to save Winry.

"I will," Tore nodded seriously though he looked as if a burden of some kind had been lifted. "I just can't sit here and do nothing for days."

"I know the feeling," Ed sighed. "So what's everyone else doing?"

"True Soul went to bed a little while ago, but I don't know if he's asleep," Tore shrugged. "He looked too upset to sleep. Mustang is still in the sitting room I think."

Ed snorted. "Great." He hoped the idiot was sober enough to handle the mission tomorrow. He probably would be, but Ed didn't relish dealing with a grouchy, hung-over Roy Mustang. Not, he admitted only to himself, when he didn't dare allow himself to join him. Not tonight.

"This is freaky," Tore sighed, dropping down on the bed and sitting next to Ed. "I've never seen everyone so upset before, and I never figured on something like this happening. I mean…"

"Things like this don't happen to people like us?" Ed finished the thought, and he felt sorry for the kid. "I hate to burst your bubble, Tore, but the world's equally fair and unfair to everyone. Things happen, and when you're high profile sometimes that makes you a target. Or, in my case, I make myself a target," he smirked, though it faded quickly. "Sometimes being important or well known isn't always good. Everything has its pros and cons, its balances."

"It's equivalency?" Tore looked at him questioningly.

"That's the size of it," Ed nodded in agreement, "Though it's never as simple as we'd like it to be."

"Yeah, I noticed," Tore sighed. "I just want them to be okay. It… I don't want any more women to disappear."

Ed put an arm around Tore's shoulder, testing, and knew the kid was really upset about the whole mess when he didn't pull away from the gesture that was meant to be comforting. He didn't lean into Ed the way his own kids had, but he seemed to appreciate it. "Neither do I. That's why we're going to get them back." He said it with as much conviction as he could muster. Ed could use a good convincing himself.

"Right," Tore nodded, renewed determination clear on his face. "I guess I should try and sleep again," he said after a moment.

"That's a good idea," Ed nodded, encouraging the kid onto his feet. "You'll need to be alert. We all will."

"That might be interesting," Tore smirked as he headed for the door. "Good night, Teacher."

"Good night, Tore." Ed watched the boy go; glad he could help calm his fears. When he was gone, Ed lay back down on the bed and tried to still his own thoughts. Unfortunately, Winry filled his mind and worry refused to let him find peace. Sleep was a very long time in coming.


	5. Chapter 5

**November 5****th****, 1958**

The next morning the four alchemists met the military truck when it pulled up outside the house in the still-falling snow. Fortunately it was down to flurries and the roads were being plowed again. Ed was sure none of them looked any more refreshed than they actually were. He had finally dozed off at some point and gotten maybe two or three hours of sleep. Al looked irritated and dragging. Ed was convinced that Roy was hung-over and hiding it. Tore was the only one who looked like he had slept at all, and Ed wasn't going to voice the fact that the kid was the only one whose _wife _wasn't missing.

They let the soldiers drive as they headed out of town. They were more experienced with this weather and the area anyway. It would make things go faster. Tore sat up front with the soldiers, looking anxiously and yet eagerly out the windows. Ed, Al, and Roy sat in the back and pretended they were capable of patience.

"This is ridiculous," Roy grumbled as the truck made its way through the early morning streets, still mostly clear of traffic. "For a matter like this there should be a government investigation going on; military mobilization to go after these guys; not a couple of token soldiers and a beat up truck."

"Be grateful we have that much," Al suggested, though he didn't really look any more pleased than Roy did.

"There's nothing they could do that the three of us can't," Ed nodded, though he felt sour this morning. He wanted to hit something – or someone, preferably whoever had gotten their hands on Winry. There would be violence when he got a hold of those men! "Do you really think there's any one out in those mountains, alchemists or no, who can take the three of _us_?"

Roy smirked, apparently pleased by the egotism of the statement. "Of course not. Still, it doesn't change the fact that our hosts who so dearly hoped to change things are hardly lifting more than a finger to help."

The truck cab fell into deep silence. If the two Drachman soldiers understood Amestrian, they were either very good at holding their tongues, or paying more attention to the treacherous roads. Either way, Ed didn't care if this was just another three missing women to the local authorities; as far as he was concerned this was an Amestrian national emergency!

His attempts at patience failed very quickly.

* * *

Winry could not remember the last time she had been so sore. She suspected it might well be the day Ethan was born and even that memory seemed gentle in comparison to the hard, cold truck bed on which she currently lay on her stomach, arms tied behind her back and ankles bound together. Every bump in the road jostled her bruised body and made her head ache with a constant throbbing.

When she turned her head to the side, she could see Riza, also tied, lying on her side facing her, and barely catch a glimpse of Elicia. The truck was apparently heated up front, because occasional warmer air came from behind her, but it wasn't enough to keep her from shivering without her coat.

Riza was awake too. Both women were gagged, making real conversation impossible. They had first been shoved into one truck and drugged with something held up to their noses that knocked them unconscious. Winry vaguely remembered a foggy haze of time when they were walked from one truck to another, and then dosed again she supposed because time blanked after that too.

She had awoken as she was now, with no idea what time it was or how long it had been since they had been attacked in the street. By now surely Edward knew they were missing? She couldn't imagine the guys weren't looking for them, but she had no way of knowing if there was a search going on, or if anyone had any idea at all of where they were being taken.

If they did, it was more than Winry knew. She still had no idea why they had been kidnapped in the first place. It might well be politically motivated, but the men who had attacked them seemed to be familiar with their work and that implied that Winry, Riza, and Elicia were only three victims in something much larger.

Not that they were going to stay victims for long if Winry had anything to say about it! At the first opportunity they would escape. What worried her most right now, was the fact she had barely seen Elicia stir. She was breathing, but she still appeared to be unconscious.

Riza's expressions said she knew no more than Winry did, but that she agreed that they needed to break out. It was a good thing they knew each other well or communication would have been impossible. As it was, general ideas could be expressed with a little facial gesturing and badly garbled mumbling through gags.

The truck came to a stop, and the settling lurch sent Winry falling against a wooden crate behind her. _Owww…I want a refund on the travel arrangements._

The back of the covered truck opened, but the only light that came in was reflecting off the snow outside. Silhouetted figures jumped up into the truck and with banging footsteps came over and hauled Winry and the others to their feet. One of them bodily picked up Elicia.

Winry tried to struggle against them. The door was open, they could escape! For her troubles the two men holding her smacked her on the tender spot on her head where she had been knocked out the first time. Stars and pain exploded fresh and she had to struggle just to stay on her feet as they dragged her out of the truck and down into the snow. By the time her vision cleared again they were inside a building of some sort, going down a flight of stairs. Then she was tossed down, slamming hard onto a stone floor.

To her surprise, the gag was removed. As she tried to work moisture back into her mouth and clear her vision, she heard a creak and a slam, then keys rattling. Great, what was this, a cell?

As soon as Winry could see, she realized it was just that. She didn't know where they were, but they were definitely in a cell. In a basement or cellar perhaps? From the little bit of bluish-white light filtering in from above, she could see the very edges of the stairs they had come down, the glint of metal bars, and then Riza lying on the floor beside her. Definitely a basement cellar. "Riza, are you okay?" she managed to ask.

There was a long moment of silence. "Besides a splitting headache, I am fine for the moment." Riza sounded irritated. "They took my gun."

Winry shivered in the cold. "Where's Elicia."

"The next cell," Riza replied. "I can see her past you."

So they weren't even all together. At least they hadn't been fully separated. "So," Winry asked, "How about we get out of here?"

"I think that sounds like an excellent plan," Riza replied with a soft snort. "I've been working at these ropes all day. If I can just get my hands in front of my face I think I can untie yours."

"How do you plan to do that?" Winry asked curiously.

As she watched, Riza began to curl herself up, moving her hands down towards her hips as she brought her legs to her chest. Riza paused for several seconds then chuckled wryly. "I had narrower hips the last time I did this."

"Didn't we all?" Winry chuckled. Childbirth would do that.

Still, with a little more wiggling, Riza got her hands past her hip bones and, slowly, one leg at a time, she managed to bring her feet through the loop.

"Ingenious," Winry commented when Riza was done.

"Flexibility," Riza counter-argued. "Can you roll over?" She flexed her fingers.

"If you can do that I'm sure I can managed that much," Winry replied, feeling emboldened by the chance to do _something._

Suddenly the ceiling above them shot bright with narrow streams of golden light and she froze, startled, until she realized that it was a floor! There was definitely a building above them, and a fairly old or cheap one if all it had was plank flooring above the basement.

Voices came through the cracks with useful clarity. Unfortunately, they were still speaking in Drachman. Winry listened intently, hoping Riza picked up more than she did.

::You completely screwed that up!:: one man growled at another and what sounded like paper hitting wood followed. ::It's all over the news. You had to grab _those_ women? Are you daft?::

::They looked like good targets,:: the other man stammered. ::How was I supposed to know they were the alchemists' wives?::

::Three well off Amestrian women?:: the man snorted. ::I guess we'll have to use them to our advantage.::

::But we promised Tamirov three new test subjects!:: The other voice objected.

::So we give him splits on the ransom. He'll take money,:: the angry voice retorted more thoughtfully. ::Besides, the older two are out of the age range for his experiments. Only the youngest is still viable anyway.::

::You'd know,:: the timid man replied. ::So what now?::

::I'll take the youngest with me. You stay here and keep guard over the other two until I have a chance to discuss this with Tamirov.::

Winry wasn't sure how much else they said and hoped she had understood the conversation properly. Horror filled her veins. They _did_ know who they were, and still they were going to take Elicia!

Riza looked just as angry. "We have to get out of here," she replied. "Winry move!"

"Right." Winry had forgotten all about rolling over. With a little leverage she managed to shove herself over so her hands were near Riza's. She felt the ropes come loose less than a minute later. The biting eased, though they continued to sting. Still it was a massive improvement. She sat up and turned around, quickly doing the same for Riza. "Elicia's still unconscious." They both started to work on their leg bindings.

"And in the other cell," Riza sighed. "How are we going to get out of here?"

Winry wasn't sure. How… wait. In a moment of potentially vain hope, she reached up into her hair. "I have a hair pin," she replied triumphantly as she pulled it out.

"You're going to pick the locks?" Riza looked momentarily skeptical.

Winry smirked, feeling much more confident than she had in hours. She was free and she had a tool. "It's been a while, but it's not that difficult."

The door at the top of the stairs thumped as a bar shifted.

"We're out of time," Riza replied, cursing softly.

"Quick, the ropes." Winry wrapped them back around her legs so they would look right, then draped the rest around her wrists in an easy to remove binding and lay down, her hands away from the doors so no one would see them. Riza did the same. They both closed their eyes and tried to look unconscious.

The man who came down was grousing to himself, and clearly the tougher of the two men upstairs. There was a rattle and a tin plate slid under the cell door into their confinement.

Then there was rattling and the door to the next cell opened. ::Stupid foreigners,:: he groused. ::Never do know how to handle things. So soft too. Look at them. I hope Tamirov likes this one. They're already more of a pain than they're worth to me.:: There was the sound of a soft hefting grunt and a body being lifted. Then footsteps as the man went back across the dark cellar and up the stairs. Then the door slammed shut again heavily.

Winry lay still for another minute despite the almost irresistible urge to leap up and try and run after Elicia! _Damn it! _By the time she picked the lock the man would likely be gone anyway. She heard the sound of a car motor a moment later, and then it pulling away and vanishing into the distance. "Let's get the heck out of here," she whispered, sitting up sharply as soon as it got quiet.

The tin in their cell turned out to be luke-warm potatoes and beef, not very tasty either, but Winry realized just how hungry she was as she made herself take a few bites with one of the dented forks stuck in it. How long had it been since they had eaten? Then while Riza ate the rest, Winry worked on the door as quickly as she could manage.

It only took two minutes to open the lock, and that was because it was old and didn't want to pop open. "That was easy," Winry stuck the pin back in her hair. "Let's get out of here and find help."

"We've got to rescue Elicia," Riza agreed. "And find weather wear if possible. We can't go running around in the snow for too long without coats." Neither of them had theirs anymore. Winry's had been ripped off in the fight and apparently Riza and Elicia's had been removed.

"Upstairs?" Winry suggested. Though she hated the thought of delay, the idea of freezing was even worse.

"If there's not still a truck outside with anything," Riza replied, nodding. "Let's go."

They hurried up the stairs and tried the door from inside. It took some effort, but it came open. They did not stop in the doorway. Waiting would only give the man inside time to come looking for them if he had heard the noise and came to investigate.

Icy wind buffeted them and sliced right through Winry's warm wool sweater and the shirt underneath it. Snow blew around them, though it seemed to be from the ground and not falling. She was about to step around the corner when Riza's hand on her sweater yanked her backwards. "There's a third." She gestured into the snow.

Winry looked more carefully, and a shape resolved itself, walking in their direction. Not good! Winry glanced around frantically and spotted a snow covered bucket which looked like it had bars of metal sticking out. She grabbed at one and pulled out a crowbar. Another revealed a small shovel.

"You get behind him," Riza suggested."I'll-"

"Too late!" Winry squeaked as the man saw them and picked up a run, barreling into Riza.

Winry spun and swung purely on instinct, feeling a sickening crack and crunch under the crowbar's heft as it hit the Drachman in the head. He dropped immediately.

"Thanks." Riza shook herself and looked down at the body, lying in the already trampled snow right in front of the door. "I'm out of practice. I should have heard him."

"Snow makes it hard," Winry offered the excuse. She ignored the squeamish feeling in her stomach. She had never killed before.

"Let's put him in the cellar," Riza suggested. Together they hefted the dead body downstairs, laying him in the furthest back cell there was. It was darkest there.

Winry was glad there was no blood on the snow. But they really needed to get moving now. The man upstairs – if he still was – would eventually figure out his buddy was missing. Back upstairs, she looked around. The truck was gone. There wasn't a whole lot of traffic on the road here though it seemed. The tracks pulled up to the house from one direction, and then much newer and deeper ruts took off to the right, West. The building was indeed a dilapidated house along the base of a cliff set back just a little from the road on the north side.

Riza closed the door behind them and dropped the bar in place, locking it shut. "Let them think we're in there as long as possible."

"Do we go inside?" Winry asked. Her head throbbing, battered, bruised, and cold she wasn't sure if she'd be much help in taking down the man inside. They also couldn't be entirely sure that there was only the one now. They had been captured by so many, and only heard two in conversation. The third had already been an unpleasant surprise. Riza looked fairly beaten up too.

"Let's head East," Riza suggested after a moment. "Look at the clouds."

Winry glanced to her left and noticed what Riza meant. There was the glow of city lights turning the clouds pink. It might be miles, but there was something there even if Winry doubted it was Petrayevka after driving for so long. She was glad she was dressed for cold weather aside from having lost her coat and gloves. "Let's get moving. Maybe we can find someplace between here and there to take shelter." They just needed to get moving.

"Roy won't be far behind us," Riza replied with steady assurance.

"Ed and Al too," Winry agreed, hoping that sounding confident would help her feel more assured. "If we keep to the tire tracks the snow's not so deep," she suggested.

Hurrying at a fast walk to conserve energy, Riza and Winry headed back up the mountain road, hoping to find shelter, or rescue, and that they wouldn't have to turn back just to survive.

Winry felt guilty for not going the other direction. _We'll come find you, Elicia. As soon as we can I promise we'll get you away from them._

**November 6****th****, 1958**

Alphonse was ready to scream. Of course, he had been for most of the day but he had refrained, hoping at any moment they would come upon the girls and their captors and the nightmare would be over.

They had driven all day through falling snow, which had stopped around mid-afternoon about the time they stopped in a small village for gasoline for the truck. No one had any leads and so they went on. At that point in the mountains there were few branch roads, so it seemed unlikely that the men they were pursuing would have diverted from it. The officers with them knew the area and were certain that the alchemical lab was nowhere near there. As it turned out, they did know some Amestrian.

They had moved on, driving on into the darkness with no leads, no buildings, no branching roads; nothing. It got dark and still they drove. Food had been rations in the truck with them, but that was hardly filling and it was all pre-prepared to avoid cooking so it was all cold. They only took a pit stop when someone absolutely had to go, and those were brief.

The world seemed to close to nothing but the darkness, the walls of rock around them, and the strip of white in front. Everyone seemed lost in their own thoughts, so there was little conversation now. Al wondered if Roy and Ed were as wrapped up in their own horrible fantasies of what might have happened to the girls as Al was, though he tried to think positively. The longer things took, the harder it was to remain optimistic.

A short gasp from the front seat made him sit up sharply. "What?" he asked, noticing that Roy and Ed had jerked into alertness too.

Tore looked sheepish as he turned his head around. "Sorry I… I was thinking."

"What were you thinking?" Ed asked his student.

Tore looked like he didn't want to say. "I… it just occurred to me that maybe this is what happened to my Mom."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"That's possible," Ed admitted softly.

Tore nodded. "Uncle Pierce was an alchemist. He's the one who brought her to Drachma right?"

Al felt a feeling of mild horror settle on him at that thought as much as the worry over Elicia and the others. "You think he brought her to the alchemists?"

Tore shrugged. "The doctors in the city said they couldn't have done anything right? Maybe it wasn't really doctors he was bringing her to see."

"That makes sense," Ed commented thoughtfully, his chin resting in one hand. "Though I don't like the sound of it. Think they duped him? They don't sound particularly charitable."

::They're not,:: the driver, Lieutenant Vizhenko, commented flatly. One of the few things he had said, though the two men had gotten a little more conversational as the day went on and they realized the three Generals with them were not sticklers for propriety.

"It would explain why they never came home," Tore nodded. "I… I just hope that means maybe we'll find them."

Al didn't voice what they were all thinking; if his mother and uncle hadn't been used for alchemical experiments themselves. "Maybe we will," he replied simply.

"I wish we'd gotten anything useful from Petrayevka," Roy commented, changing the subject. "But there's been no ransom demands, no leads, nothing more than what we're already following." They had radioed back a couple of times but with no affirmative results in reply. No new leads either.  
"Which just makes them idiots," Ed quipped sardonically. "Talk about going for the wrong targets."

"Well they'll learn just how stupid they are soon enough," Roy replied. "Assuming they survive."

"Hey now," Al objected. "Don't you think you're jumping the gun a little?" He was ready to fight for his wife, but Roy sounded awfully cavalier about just killing whoever they came across.

He should have been expecting Roy and Ed's replies, which came in perfect unison. "No!"

::There is a town up ahead,:: Vizhenko cut in to the argument. ::We should stop for the night. We need to refuel again anyway.::

"We'll refuel," Ed nodded grimly, "But we keep going."

Both Drachman officers looked dubious and exhausted but the other one, Major Maskovich, nodded. ::Yes, Sir.::  
Al hated yet another delay, but it wasn't as if it could be helped. If the truck ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere they would be stranded, and the delay in rescuing Elicia and the others would be even longer. He just hoped she was all right; or at least somewhere warm and safe instead of out in the weather.

* * *

Cold ached, then it burned, and then it went numb. Winry couldn't feel her face, or her toes in her boots; her fingers were tucked under her armpits to keep them warm as she and Riza trudged through the cold winter night. She had lost track of how long it was since they left the shack. She didn't know the hour or how far they had come. There was no way to judge really. She suspected it had to be at least five miles by now though, and while the glow of the town seemed closer they still had not reached it.

Her headache was only another small misery. Winry was fairly certain she didn't have a concussion, or she'd be much worse off by now, but it was small consolation. She was terrified for Elicia and losing confidence in her and Riza's survival the longer they were out in the open.

At least they did not appear to have anyone in immediate pursuit behind them. If they were lucky no one would notice they were gone before morning.

Winry glanced over at Riza, who stared ahead with grim determination, her hands also tucked under her arms, feet moving in a steady rhythm that seemed to be out of nothing left but sheer will. If they stopped, they would die eventually from exposure. It was just that simple.

Winry refused to give in, despite the heaviness of her eye-lids, the crying out of her body for real sleep, for food, warmth, the simplest elements of survival. In the dark, frigid night, Edward seemed very far away. Amestris, Central, their home, it might as well be a dream. Sara, Aldon, Ethan; her children, all too far away and with absolutely no idea that anything was wrong. Winry wondered if their absence had even been reported to Central or if the Drachmans were hiding the fact.

This nightmare was reality, and oh how Winry wished she was dreaming. "I wonder what the kids are up to," she asked into the cold. Riza was walking as close beside her as they could get without interfering with each other's movements; it offered them each just a little more warmth.

"Asleep most likely," Riza replied with an amused little smirk. "Even Maes doesn't stay up this late anymore. He gets pretty worn out helping Elena with their brood."

"How are they doing?" Winry asked. She couldn't take the silence anymore; the sound of the wind. Besides, she honestly wanted to know. It seemed miracle enough they were still married after Maes' near court-martial over a year ago. With three little children she doubted they had much private time.

"Better," Riza replied, her expression softening. "Maes still seems to feel like he hasn't atoned for his mistakes though, and that worries me."

"You don't think he'll do something stupid?" Winry asked. She didn't say _again_. She still felt sympathy toward Riza, Roy, and the whole family for the strain Maes' past actions had put on their family. He was a good-hearted man, but when he did do something foolish it tended to be big and public. Winry loved him like a nephew, but no one could deny that sometimes his common sense went out the window.

Riza shook her head. "No. He's too paranoid about it himself, but he's gone to the other extreme. He won't go out without Elena other than for work or missions. He's turned down three missions flat that Kane offered him because they would have taken him out of Central for more than two days. He's stopped drinking flat out too."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Winry asked. Given both Edward and Roy's issues, and how much of a problem that had been in both of Maes' major troubles, it sounded like the best decision Maes could have made. This was the most Riza had said on the subject of her son directly in quite some time.

Riza nodded. "As a point of fact yes, it's a very good thing. But I'm still worried. He tends to do things in absolutes, and when he does break it always goes explosively. He's so much like Roy." Sadness crossed her expression. "He wants so terribly to redeem himself, but I don't know if he'll ever see anything as enough."

Winry understood the problem then. She'd seen it with Edward in his low moments; when guilt ate away and become all-consuming. Roy too. Maes seemed far too inclined in that direction it was true. "It's hard to make anyone else see what they're not ready to accept," she agreed. "Hopefully Elena can do that." Maes' whole world was wrapped up in his wife and his family; Elena was a lovely, capable woman. If she couldn't help Maes through this than no one likely could.

"I hope so." Riza did not look as convinced or reassured as Winry had hoped she would. "Neither of them has been entirely the same since the hearings."

To that, Winry could think of nothing helpful or appropriate to say. Silence fell again as Winry stumbled and barely caught herself from going face first into the snow. Riza's quick grasp at her sweater was what really saved her. "Thanks," she straightened herself up.

"We'll make it," Riza replied instead of any of the responses Winry might have expected.

Winry smiled bravely and put her arm around Riza. Riza did the same. Refusing to slow down, sharing what little warmth they had, they continued onward.

* * *

Finding gas at that hour took some doing. The only station in town wasn't actually open. Edward had to resist the urge to pound something as the two Drachman officers routed out the owner of the station and got the pumps turned on. Only for the government did it get done. Still it was another half hour delay they didn't need.

While they waited, Ed, Al, and Roy drank a good bit of what remained of the coffee in the thermoses that they had brought with them. It was lukewarm or cold by now anyway, and thick sludge, but it wasn't icy and it was better than nothing. Tore made do with water and didn't complain even though Ed could tell from his expression the kid was getting tired of the stuff.

They refilled the thermoses with fresh hot coffee while the officers paid the man for his troubles, then they all piled back into the truck and headed off again.

"How far ahead can they really be?" Edward grumbled. He was tired, stressed out, irritated, and grouchy. "We may not have made any time on them at all, damn it!"

"They had at least a two hour head start on us in Petrayevka," Roy replied, unhelpfully matter-of-fact. "Another eleven hours easy before we got out of the city."

"More than half a day," Al sighed.

"Well aren't we all cheerful," Ed groused. He didn't care if he was bad company. Why start now? He hadn't even been able to really doze in the truck. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Winry. Worse, he saw the things they could be doing to her. _He_ knew what alchemists were capable of doing to human subjects. The only time he'd nodded off he had immediately fallen into a dream in which Nina interposed with Winry. He'd jerked awake to find less than ten minutes had passed. If those were his dreams, he would prefer to remain awake.

"Well you aren't exactly mister positive," Roy replied snappishly.

"Would you both shut up already?" Al glared at them both. "That's enough."

Ed sighed and slumped back against the seat. It wasn't worth the effort of arguing anymore. Tore seemed to have passed out in the front seat. Both Drachman officers were wisely staying out of the disagreements of the men in the back seat who technically outranked them even if they weren't in the same military.

They were all close to breaking. It was pathetic really, but there it was. Neither Edward, nor Alphonse, nor Roy, could get along without their wives. They all knew it, and they were all scared shitless that they would never see Winry or Riza or Elicia again. The most precious women in the world were missing, captured, possibly to never be seen again.

Ed couldn't handle losing Winry again. He didn't have it in him.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Still, November 6****th****, 1958)  
**

Winry knew it was getting bad when both she and Riza started stumbling regularly. Fumble-footed and exhausted, they both hit the snow a couple of times before they simply had to stop and rest. They found a rock outcropping that blocked the wind and, on the lee side, was devoid of snow. In that small space they rested though they did not sit on the cold stone. It would just suck more heat out of them.

"How's your ankle?" Winry asked when she'd had a chance to catch her breath in the almost-warmth of their nook. Riza had twisted it a couple of spills back and had been limping for over a mile at least.

"Almost numb enough not to hurt like hell," Riza replied with a reassuring smile that was half grimace. "We should keep moving. We can't be too far away."

"That's what we said three miles ago," Winry replied. "And five." _And however many more._ She just couldn't trudge much further. Riza couldn't either, not on that ankle.

"So we keep moving and it keeps getting closer," Riza argued. "We can't stay here."

"It's warmer here," Winry argued briefly, trying to will her mind to think clearly. It was much more dulled and numbed with cold and exhaustion than she was used to dealing with and it was aggravating.

"Marginally," Riza agreed regretfully. "But not enough."

"I'm not going to die out here in the snow," Winry exclaimed, trying very hard to hold back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her eyes. Frozen cheeks were not something she particularly cared to experience. "I'm tougher than that. _We're_ tougher than that."

Riza looked into her eyes as they clung to each other for warmth and support. "Sometimes tough isn't enough, Winry."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Don't tell me you're giving up!"

"I didn't say that," Riza shook her head. "But there's little more we can do. We can wait it out here until morning, or we can keep going and hope that town isn't much further. At least this is a known quantity."

Winry hated to admit it but Riza had a point. She didn't want to stop; didn't want to wonder, to sit in fear with nothing to keep her body occupied. "I'm scared, Riza," she finally admitted softly.

Riza gave her a squeeze. "So am I."

The bitter wind whipped around them, howling through cracks in the rocks and making an eerie call that sounded like a wolf's howl. Winry shivered. She hadn't even thought about wild animals. What if it wasn't the wind at all? In all her life, Winry had never feared the outdoors. It was a new and terrifying experience.

Sounds seemed magnified or engulfed in the winds and swallowed. For a moment, she laughed to herself, the last blast almost sounded like a car motor!

Riza jerked a moment later, eyes widening as she looked up over Winry's shoulder. "Lights!"

Winry's head turned around so sharply her neck ached. On the road, up the hillside a few turns distant, she saw briefly vehicle headlights on one of the mountain turns before it vanished again. "What if it's more of that alchemist's men?" she asked.

"Better captivity than death," was Riza's objective response.

Winry couldn't argue with that. As the car got closer they stepped out from behind their rock and into view, almost immediately blinded by the lights. The vehicle – a large truck it seemed- skidded to a stop. It looked a lot like the one Winry and Riza had been taken out of only a few hours before. Winry froze. "Maybe this was a bad idea," she whispered as the driver's door opened and someone shouted something at them in Drachman.

"Winry?" The voice that followed was so familiar Winry was almost sure she was hallucinating. But it was followed by another door thrown violently open and a silhouette against the lights ran towards them – the bulky coat unfamiliar, but the tail of hair streaming behind a sight she couldn't forget in a million years. She stood frozen, trembling, overcome until suddenly arms were tightly around her and Winry found her face crushed up against the thick warmth of Edward's winter coat. "Winry, thank god!" His voice penetrated the fog of fear in her mind even as the warmth was a shock against her numb body. "I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, voice heavy with emotion, rough as he spoke. "I've been so scared and worried and…" he trailed off, standing up straight enough to look her in the face. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

The tender concern on his bedraggled face was all it took; Winry broke down in sobs, falling against him and crushing him tight in her own grasp – at least as best she could manage. "Ed…Ed…" Around her she heard Riza and Roy's exclamations of relief and reunion, more doors opening and closing, but all she could make herself care about for the moment was that she was safe; safe in Edward's arms where the cold, the snow, the wilds, their former captors… no one could touch her here.

"Shhh," Ed gathered her close with surprisingly gentleness. "You're frozen! Let's get you in the truck. Roy's already got Riza there. We'll get you warmed up and you can rest. I can't believe you're all the way out here like this. How did you escape? What… listen to me," he shook his head and actually chuckled, "Babbling like an idiot." Gently he guided her towards the headlights.

There was something critical, something she needed to tell them urgently.

It was Alphonse who voiced the question that neither Edward nor Roy had dared to ask yet. There was quiet dread in his voice as Ed helped Winry up into the truck next to Riza, who was snuggled up against Roy's side. "Winry, Riza… where's Elicia?"

Winry's throat closed up as she looked into her dear friend and brother's anguished face where he sat, up front with the Drachmans and Tore. "They… they still have her," she admitted, feeling ashamed all at once at their failure to save Elicia.

"They separated us," Riza picked up solemnly. "From what we overheard, they consider us too _old _for experiments. They were going to ransom us back, but they took Elicia hours ago. There was no way to follow them. I'm sorry, Alphonse."

Al's expression fell even further than Winry thought possible and her heart ached. "I'm so sorry, Al." Tears were still falling down her cheeks. "We did what we could."

"I'm sure you did," Al replied, turning back around. All Winry could see were his slumped shoulders as he responded with firm determination. "We'll get her back."

"Of course we will," Ed replied softly.

::For now,:: the Major spoke up tentatively. ::I suggest we return to the last town. They have a small hotel. More of a country inn really. The ladies need rest and likely medical attention. We should continue in daylight.::

Winry could tell all three men wanted to argue. She did too! But common sense won out. Surprisingly, it was Ed who caved first.

"You're right," Ed sighed.

"What!" Al exclaimed, turning around again sharply. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying he's got a point," Ed snapped back. "We're all dead on our feet and wrung out. If we got in a fight right now who knows what a mess we'd make of things, and Winry and Riza need care."

"What about Elicia?" Al objected.

"We'll get her," Ed promised. "We all love Elicia, but we've got to take care of the people we can." His arm was firmly around Winry's shoulders as he spoke.

Winry could see Al's torn feelings plainly in his face. Of course he cared about Winry and Riza, but Elicia was his wife and she was counting on all of them. "Fine," was his only reply before he turned away once more.

That decided, the truck turned around and the driver headed towards the town Winry and Riza had been fighting so hard to reach.

The warmth of the truck was like returning to life. Winry barely felt the blanket wrapped around her at first, or Ed's arm, until the heat started to seep back into her body. Then, for a bit, everything burned once more as feeling returned, especially her feet and hands and face. She began to shiver again as her body reacted. Her head fell against Ed's shoulder and her eyes drooped closed. She thought she heard Roy offering Riza a cup of coffee or soup, but before she could decide which she had heard Winry had fallen into exhausted sleep.

* * *

It only took twenty minutes to drive back to the little village they had so recently left. Edward might have felt guilt about the Drachman officers shaking the inn's management out of bed and getting them rooms, but really he could not have cared less, not with Winry passed out asleep in his arms. He carried her upstairs, still wrapped in the blanket from the truck, to the little room they had for the night. Or morning rather, it was almost four.

Tore watched Winry with a look that showed clearly his own concern, but stayed quiet until they were all in the room, which had two beds. "Is she okay?" he asked softly as Ed lay Winry down on the larger bed.

"She's still awfully cold," Ed answered honestly as he began to unwrap the blanket from around her. "But she should be all right now." He didn't voice his concerns. What he really wanted was to get her in a warm bath, but she was far too tired. That would wait until she woke again, but as he got down to her clothes, he could feel how cold she still was. She shivered even in the warm air of the room. It was an immense relief to find, as he took off her boots and soaked socks, that her feet were not frostbitten. Her fingers weren't either, if only barely.

There was a knock at the door, and a moment later Alphonse entered. Ed looked up at his brother. "The Lieutenant went to wake a doctor," Al informed them. How's Winry?"

"Cold," Ed replied. "But no frostbite. Tore, do you have the bag?" Emergency supplies had included things like warm clothes, and Ed was fairly certain he's stuck one of Winry's warm nightgowns in there.

"Yeah," Tore set it down next to the bed.

"Thanks." He opened it and pulled out the long, blue flannel nightgown. Then he stopped. "Could you guys give us a couple of minutes?" He didn't think Winry would really want to know she'd been stripped down in front of Al or Tore!  
"But-" Tore's objection was cut off by Al's hand on his shoulder.

"We'll bring the doctor," Al replied with a short nod, then steered Tore out of the room.

When they were gone Ed finished undressing Winry and tucked her under the covers. The doctor would want to do a full examination, so there was no point in dressing her just yet, but he wanted her to be warm. Gently, Ed rubbed her hands and feet to encourage circulation and warm the skin. The blue tinge faded from her lips and color returned to her cheeks.

By the time the doctor arrived she no longer looked half frozen. He examined the bruises on Winry's body, and the bump on her head as well as her extremities. Ed's heart was clenched in his chest as he waited for a final verdict.

::She will be fine with rest,:: the doctor finally said, standing. ::I will see to the other lady now.::

A wash of relief flowed through Ed. ::Thank you, doctor.::

Ed got Winry into her warm pajamas and tucked her in again. He knew the best way to warm her, but that was not best done in company.

Tore and Al came back in when the doctor left, the mild relief in Al's expression telling Ed that the doctor had also told them that Winry would be all right. Though from the haggardness of Al's face Ed wasn't sure how well his brother was holding up. "You okay?" Ed asked.

"Not really," Al admitted honestly, shrugging slightly. "Riza told Roy what happened and what they heard. Roy wants to go straight out to that shack and see if the guy is still there."

"You should both go," Ed replied without a moment's hesitation. "I'll stay and watch the girls. But get some sleep first, okay? If you can."

"Not likely," Al snorted half-heartedly. "Not until we find Elicia."

"We will," Ed replied. He was worried about her too. "But it's better to go into battle fresh right?"

Al looked at him for a moment then shook his head. "I know it's bad when _you're_ the voice of reason. I'm in the next room if you need me."

"Thanks, Al," Ed smiled gently as his brother headed back out of the room and closed the door. "So, Tore, how…" Ed turned his head and stopped. The boy had passed out on his bed, clearly exhausted since he'd only managed to take off his shoes.

Ed stood up and put a blanket over the kid. He had to admit, he was impressed with how well Tore was holding up with all this, especially given the boy's revelation that his mother and uncle might have ended up with the alchemists. He had to know what that could mean, but he had been much more serious and cooperative the last couple of days than he usually was. Ed knew that Tore was rather strongly attached to Winry and Elicia too; missing his own mother didn't mean he pulled away from warm caring women who wanted him around.

It was all catching up with him. As Ed stood there he became aware of every ache, from the one in his head to the one in his stomach now that it was unknotting. His legs were heavy and he needed sleep too. Ed went back to the bed, stripped down to nothing but his shorts, and curled up next to Winry, sharing what body heat he had to help keep her warm.

Instinctively, Winry snuggled into him and Ed wrapped his arm around her, though he did his best to keep the auto-mail out of the way until it warmed up too. Cold metal was not a comfortable bed partner! "That's it, beautiful," he whispered, kissing her forehead gently as he closed his eyes. "You're safe now. I've got you." _And I'm never going to let you go again._

* * *

Sunlight streaming through the windows, bright-glaring off the snow outside, woke Winry. She blinked in the bright light and rolled over. It took her a moment to figure out where she was. She remembered snow, cold, and finally the events of the night before as sore muscles ached. At that her eyes went open wide. "Edward?"

"I'm here," Ed chuckled and she relaxed, reassured. She heard him standing up, and a moment later he sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. He was fully dressed. "How do you feel?"

"Sore," Winry replied, but she couldn't help smiling. She squeezed back. "It feels good to be warm. What time is it?"

"Almost noon," Ed answered. "You've been asleep for seven hours."

Winry groaned as she made herself sit up. It didn't feel like seven hours. Usually she felt more rested. As soon as she was upright she grabbed Ed in a much-needed hug. "Thank goodness you found us. How's Riza?"

"Resting," Ed replied, his strong arms encircling her. "Though she's up. Other than the cold, the worst injury between the two of you is her twisted ankle." He chuckled. "She told us what happened. You two are ingenious aren't you?"

"Don't sound so surprised," Winry smirked. "All we did was slip the ropes, unlock a door, kill the guard, and trudge through the snow for hours."

"Sounds pretty heroic to me," Ed countered, and Winry was surprised that he sounded dead serious.

"We didn't get Elicia," Winry pointed out, her guilt returning as she thought about her friend and how utterly helpless she and Riza had been to do anything about it.

"Roy and Al left two hours ago to find where they were keeping you," Ed replied. "Hopefully they'll be back soon and maybe we'll have a better lead as to where they've taken her."

"I hope so," Winry agreed. "But what do we do until then?"

Ed sat back just a little, his expression one of surprising patience. "Rest, recuperate; we're trying to figure out a way to get you and Riza back to Petrayevka without turning around completely."

"No," Winry pushed herself upright and shook her head. "Forget it, Ed. We're coming with you. Or at least, I am. I'm not leaving Elicia in those bastards' hands a minute longer than necessary. We should have been able to do something."

She expected more argument, but other than a resigned sigh, Ed smiled. "That's what I expected you to say. Riza's already voiced her own objections."

The response caught her off guard. "That's it?" Winry replied, puzzled.

"If the doctor hadn't said you were both going to be fine I'd be arguing a lot harder," Ed admitted. "But we've got time, and I'd be an idiot to try and argue the two of you into staying behind when we could really use your help."

"You mean that?" Had someone messed with Ed's brain?

Ed nodded. "I do. Besides," he flashed her a grin, "I'm not about to let you out of my sight."

Winry giggled. "My hero," she teased.

"I'm not sure I deserve that title for sitting in the back of a truck for hours, but I'll take it," Ed chuckled. "So, are you hungry; thirsty?"

"Both," Winry replied. The gnawing pain in her middle wasn't a bruise after all. "But what I really want is a hot bath! Tell me this place has a tub."

"They do," Ed said. "This town doesn't see too much in the way of guests this time of year, so we have the place almost to ourselves. You want the bath or food first?"

"Bath," Winry replied. Hungry as she was she wanted to feel that heat all the way through her and to get clean. Lying in an old rusted truck and the cell floor did not lend towards feeling clean.

"I'll get one drawn for you then," Ed promised, kissing her briefly. It was warm, sweet, familiar. Today everything he did seemed special. Winry supposed it was just how relieved she was to be alive. The world seemed new and bright and Ed's assurances restored her confidence. They'd rescue Elicia and stop whoever was experimenting on human subjects. No one could stop Edward when he set his mind to a task. With Ed, Al, Roy, and the rest of them on it, how could they fail?

* * *

By the time Roy and Alphonse returned, Riza and Winry had been up for over an hour, bathed, and eaten. They were sitting in the little hotel's sitting room – it really was more of a bed and breakfast layout, since the place was an old rambling farmhouse style building – sipping steaming hot tea when the boys came back through the door.

"Where are the Lieutenant and the Major?" Riza asked Roy as he came straight to her, hugging her tightly the way he had last night. She set her cup down and returned it.

"Taking care of our informant," Roy smirked, his eye sparkling as he sat down on the couch next to her. "That coward of yours was still there when we arrived. He surrendered almost without a fight. Too bad too, Alphonse was ready to do some damage."

"Al?" Winry looked up at him curiously.

"Oh it was beautiful," Roy chuckled. "He threatened to level the place. Too bad the guy gave up so easily. It might have been interesting to watch."

Al shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Wouldn't have been much to see," was all he said in response.

"So what did the little snitch have to say?" Ed asked. He was sitting with Winry on the other couch, arm around her shoulders.

Roy seemed smugly pleased with the situation this morning. Riza took that as a good sign. "Well he confirmed they had no idea who they grabbed until yesterday morning when the papers came out. It's all over the press in Petrayevka and the surrounding area. Parashkin is the name of the guy who's got Elicia. He works for the head alchemist it seems, a man named Tamirov. Our snitch has no idea where the alchemical laboratory is exactly, but he told us where to go when the road splits for the next couple of towns. He hasn't been much further than that. Normally he meets up with Parashkin further on it seems."

"It's a place to start," Riza replied, picking her cup back up and sipping. "Any information brings us closer to finding them."

"So when do we leave?" Tore piped up.

"This afternoon," Al replied immediately and no one contradicted him. Even leaving late in the day and driving through the night, none of them wanted to delay the search for Elicia and her captors any longer. Not knowing what lay at the end if they didn't find her.

"Then we should pack up and get going," Winry said, finishing her tea and standing. Unsurprisingly, Ed stood with her and followed Winry upstairs.

Tore watched them for a moment, then stood up and followed.

Al looked lost for a moment, then scowled and went back outside, leaving Riza and Roy alone for the moment.

"How's your ankle?" Roy asked softly as he helped her up.

"Not too bad," Riza replied, smiling. "It's well bound. I can walk on it. The rope burns hurt worse honestly." Those on her – and on Winry – had been cleaned and bandaged.

"I wish there was more I could do," Roy replied, his left hand caressing the side of her face.

"_All you can_ is certainly enough," Riza pointed out. It wasn't as if he could do more, however much Roy always wanted to.

Roy shook his head. "I wish I agreed with you, but sometimes everything isn't enough. I don't intend for this to be one of those times."

At least they agreed on that. "Neither do I."

Roy watched her a moment, his eye looking her over as if he was still reassuring himself that Riza was really there, not some figment of his imagination. Then he clutched her tightly to him. "My Riza, how I've missed you." His voice choked up and he kissed her.

Riza returned it, letting the action speak for her how deeply she loved him and how much she still trusted in his abilities. Some men needed to be heroes. Riza was happy to let Roy be hers anytime.

**November 7th, 1958**

Elicia could remember little of the last several days, however many it had been. She had completely lost track. All she knew was a blur of discomfort, movement, and confusion occasionally punctuated by attempts to come fully into lucidity. Cold; she was aware of the cold and the jerking motions of a vehicle that stopped every now and then. She would try and hear the voices when they came to her, but they were not in a language she understood. What language was it? She tried to place it, and knew she should know what it was, but thoughts slipped through her grasp like flower petals on the wind.

Day, night, there was no distinction. Memories and dreams flitted and skipped and refused to stay held long enough for her to examine them. Every time she started to find consciousness something was stuffed under her nose with an awful pungent scent and she descended once more into darkness.

So it was quite a shock to come fully awake at last, lying unbound on a flat hard metal slab. Elicia slowly opened her eyes and in the dim light saw only a stone ceiling and part of a wall. Where she was she had no idea, but with consciousness the aches and the cold became more acute. She hurt! Slowly she sat up, the world whirling briefly and making her dizzy as she reached upright. Elicia leaned against the wall.

When her vision cleared, Elicia found herself in a small cell – or so she guessed by the bars at one end – that looked like little more than a cave though the stones were blocks, so it was a real room. The slab was a bed of sorts. There was a bed pan in one corner. Other than that the room was devoid of items.

She was alone.

Panic welled up inside her with alarming speed. Where were Winry and Riza? Were they even alive? When had they been separated? She remembered nothing and that was perhaps the most frightening part of it all. "Winry?" she spoke out softly. "Riza?" If they were within ear shot surely they would answer. Wouldn't they all be kept in the same prison? But there was no answer.

Why was there a cell this well appointed anyway? Elicia wondered if they were political prisoners or being kept for some other reason. That made the most sense.

She'd couldn't panic…she couldn't! Her mind screamed that this couldn't be happening, but she knew better. Breathing deeply, heart pounding in her chest, she stood to check the door—

--and nearly tripped as she discovered she wasn't as unbound as she thought. Her legs were chained together and then chained to the wall. The rough stone beneath her smacked her face and stars erupted. "Owww…." She couldn't help whimpering.

::I would recommend moving slowly,:: someone spoke in Drachman beyond the door. Or at least, that's what Elicia thought he said. Her Drachman was sketchier than anyone else's except maybe Tore's.

Elicia pushed herself up and looked out the door. A rough looking character in thick leather glowered in through the bars. "Where am I?" she asked. Her whole head in agony she couldn't remember more than a scattering of anything in Drachman at all, let alone anything useful.

::Stupid girl.:: She understood his next comment well enough. ::You're wanted.::

"By whom?" She couldn't tell if he understood her. What the hell was going on here?!

She watched as he opened the door and stepped inside. If she was patient, if she waited until he unlocked her legs – he would have to if she was going to walk anywhere outside of this cell – maybe she could make a break for it.

Her stomach sank as two more men entered with him and grabbed her bodily, hauling her to her feet. Elicia hissed in pain and they smirked and laughed. _I sound like such a wuss._ She was tougher than this! She wasn't going to show them fear. Glaring, she struggled and, when one of them was careless, she bit down on the closest thing available…his hand!

A moment later something heavy smacked into her skull and Elicia barely registered the pain before everything simply blacked out.

* * *

"I can't believe this," Alphonse snapped, banging his fist irritably against the inside of the truck door. "How many delays can there be?"

"Calm down," Winry reached up from the back and patted him on the shoulder. "We'll get going again before long."

Al didn't feel reassured or soothed, but he stopped growling. He didn't mean to be so short with everyone, but this was_ Elicia_ who was missing and on her way into the clutches of alchemists who were rumored to be doing _human experimentation!_ Al knew what that meant; even if they didn't go in for full human transmutation, that meant chimeras and who knew what other atrocities. The idea of Elicia being used like that…. he began to shake with rage just considering it! Staying calm was a lost cause. "I hope so," he replied softly.

They had driven through the night, into the next day, passing through several small villages and finally in the early afternoon hit another town. The problem was they were now past the snitch's directions, and from here they would have to start deducing which way the vehicle carrying Elicia had gone.

The snitch had been left in police custody to be taken back to Petrayevka for further questioning by the military. Even though Al knew he had no other information he would have liked to try wringing it out of him. Al realized that it wasn't a reasonable thought, but it made him feel oddly better. While he was normally much calmer and centered this was harder than he had expected. Al hadn't realized how dependent on Elicia's presence he had become after the Aerugo War. They had always been close, but he had relied on her heavily in the aftermath, when the things he had done had plagued him with guilt. Elicia had been the strong one; telling him it was all right, listening to his fears and troubles, soothing them away; always there.

Without her Al felt unstable, like his world had no anchor, no balance point. It made it difficult to concentrate, to think straight, to keep calm the way he normally did. Al didn't remember having these kinds of problems dealing on his own before. Still, he put it down to the simple fact that she was his _wife_, he loved her, and she was counting on him to rescue her!

That was what made delays so aggravating. They were stuck trying to get information from the local townsfolk, who all seemed utterly disinclined to be helpful. Roy, Ed, and the two Drachmans were doing most of the information hunting. Al had been relegated to remain in the car with Tore and the girls for _protection_ if it became necessary.

He knew they weren't inclined to trust his judgment as much right now. Given how tough a time he was having controlling his temper, Al didn't really blame them. Still, he knew that if they didn't get information soon they would be stuck here for another night. It would be foolish to go on further without any idea where they were going and what they were getting into, especially after traveling for almost another twenty hours straight.

So Al sat and fidgeted and waited. If they didn't save Elicia he would never be able to live with himself.

* * *

Elicia wondered if her head would ever stop hurting. This time when she came to she felt the cold metal beneath her more directly. It took her a moment to realize that she was naked and – when she tried to budge – strapped down flat! Her eyes popped open as she registered that there were noises this time. Humming… grumblings. This wasn't the cell. All she could see was more ceiling. She doubted she was alone. "Who's there?" she asked.

"Who do you think?" The accent was thick, but at least the male voice spoke Amestrian. It was cool, amused, and utterly unfamiliar. There was a quality about it that creeped Elicia out.

She swallowed. "Tamirov," she hazarded a guess but tried to sound confident. For the life of her she couldn't even remember where she had heard the word in all the blur, but it was better than nothing.

"Very good, little lady," the man chuckled, and suddenly he was above her, leaning over very close. Elicia tried to pull back, but couldn't move to do so. Tamirov was an average sized man, with thinning brown hair and a slightly receded hairline, thin metal-rimmed glasses, and pale green eyes that might have been pleasant except for the slightly manic look in them. He looked somewhere between her age and Alphonse's. "You are quite clever…. Elicia Elric is it? Yes, you are the youngest. I do read the papers," he smirked. "You're such a lucky woman, do you know that?"

"Funny," Elicia scowled. "I don't feel like it." _No fear, show no fear._

"You should be honored." Tamirov stood up a little straighter. "You're going to be part of a grand experiment to improve the future." He gestured broadly and Elicia found that if she lifted her head she could see around the room.

What she saw filled her with horror. Elicia had never seen one before, but there was no mistaking the mangled beasts in the cages along the walls for anything else. The grumblings she had heard were animal noises; chimeras! Worse too… some that looked like they had once been human, but not like the ones Alphonse and Edward had told her about. The poor creatures were clearly _failed_ experiments. Was that her fate? "You disgust me," she replied, spitting at his face.

Tamirov removed the saliva from his cheek with one gloved hand. He wore a lab coat – stained with fluids Elicia did not want defined - and gloves. Very mad scientist, but logical given this seemed to be his lab. "Feisty. Funny, from reports I always figured Alphonse Elric for one who would prefer the quiet and sedate type. No matter," he smiled magnanimously. "You've kept yourself wonderfully, my dear. You're a perfect specimen to try my latest compounds on."

He reached out to take a hold of her face. Elicia jerked sideways and snapped at him with her teeth as well. Tamirov jerked his hand back. "Stay away from me!" she shouted, trying to sound fierce, not terrified. "Where are the others?"

"Gone," Tamirov replied, still unruffled. He shrugged. "Don't expect to see them again. They were too old to survive my experiments."

Too… was he saying they… no! Winry? Riza! Elicia felt tears budding and then falling down her cheeks. It was no use, she couldn't hold them all in. "_You bastard!_" she shouted, struggling to get up. She had to get out of here!

"Well I am that all right." Tamirov's smile turned a little more maniacal, hungrier as he looked her over. Elicia remembered then that she was completely naked aside from her bindings. Those eyes on her body made her feel dirty, even though he hadn't so much as touched her. "How about you find out just how much? You'll learn to hold still." He picked up a small whip and stalked towards her. "Cooperate, lovely, and you won't suffer."

"Not a chance!" Elicia countered. She knew where that lay. She could see it in the cages. She would not be a chimera!

"I was almost hoping you'd say that," Tamirov's hands – ungloved now – rested firmly on her hip bones. Elicia flinched but couldn't get away. Her skin crawled at his touch. "I love it when my subjects struggle. It gives me an excuse to… tame them."

Elicia heard a sound then she didn't like at all. It sounded like something zipping. A scream ripped from her throat. "_Leave me alone_!"


	7. Chapter 7

**November 8****th****, 1958  
**

They had to spend the night in the town of Kuskin. Edward knew it was killing Al to do it but they didn't have any reliable way to know which way to go. The people were being entirely uncooperative; out of fear it seemed. At least that told them that the alchemists' sphere of influence extended this far. Hopefully that meant they were closing in.

It had been a long night. The town's small inn had only three available rooms. The Drachman officers had taken one, Riza and Roy another, and Tore had camped out on the floor of Ed and Winry's room. Alphonse had refused a bed, preferring to stay downstairs.

Ed was worried about his brother. Not that he expected Al to be okay with what was going on, but this wasn't the optimistic Alphonse Ed was used to, or even the pragmatic one who focused on the task at hand and pushed through even when he was dealing with strong emotions. No, when Al's emotions got out of hand it was normally short, explosive, and reason would return. This simmering anger and clear anxiety wasn't healthy, and while Ed couldn't call it out of character, it was unusual enough to be cause for concern.

The answer was simple enough; find and save Elicia. Al needed his wife. Ed just wished that were as easy as it sounded. If Al did finally lose his temper and his patience it was not going to be pretty.

When Ed came downstairs in the morning it was barely six. Winry was still asleep, recovering from the recent ordeal. Tore was passed out cold on the floor, snoring like a dog.

His thoughts had kept Ed from sleeping in. They intruded too early. He found Alphonse sitting at the bar in the dining room, staring blearily into what proved to be a cup of coffee.

"Drowning your problems?" Ed quipped as he dropped down next to his brother.

"Buzz off," Al replied flatly.

Ed sighed, keeping his own temper in check. Winry was safe. Elicia wasn't. He understood his brother's worries. _He_ could be patient with Al's rather accurate portrayal of Ed's own lousy temper. "Well I can tell you didn't sleep last night," he replied. "Are you holding up okay?"

Al harrumphed. "What do you think Ed?"

Okay maybe this was familiar behavior; it was Al sulking. Great; at least a funk was something Ed could deal with. "Okay stupid question. Did you sleep at all?"

Al shrugged. "Passed out on the couch for about an hour in there somewhere. Mostly I've just been sitting here."

::That's his eighth cup of coffee though,:: the kind elderly woman who owned the place commented as she came out of the kitchen.

::How do you know?:: Al looked up, startled.

She picked up the pot from the counter and shook it. ::Pot's empty. It holds eight exactly.:: Her expression became softer and more sympathetic. Eyes glanced between Ed and Al and the door.

Ed looked around. The room was empty save for them. It wasn't even dawn yet; it was dark outside and they seemed to be the only ones awake in the building.

::Can you keep a secret with your lives?:: the woman asked softly.

Ed was immediately alert. ::We have before,:: he replied. Did she know something? Was this the break they needed?

The woman hesitated before pushing on. ::Take the left fork in the road,:: she blurted out. ::That's the one that bastard takes when he comes through here. We never see his _cargo_ but you can hear them from time to time. They threaten us and all the towns that way to keep quiet. Otherwise it's our folks that go missing.::

::Do you know anything past that?:: Ed asked, knowing he might be pushing things.

::Not much,:: she admitted though she looked regretful. ::But my nephew lives in Alahovka. Tell him Auntie Mila requested he tell you anything he knows and he'll help if he can.::

She had Al's full attention. ::Thank you!:: he exclaimed, then shushed himself. ::Thank you so much,:: he repeated more softly.

::Get your lady back,:: Mila replied with a soft smile. ::Take a piece out of those men for us if you get the chance. If the stories they say are true, I've no doubt you can handle it.::

::There are stories of us out here?:: Ed asked curiously. Fame all over the Continent… not exaggerated in the least.

::Even beyond tales of an alchemy duel on the border years back:: she grinned, eyes twinkling. ::For all you're alchemists, you're clearly not the type we have 'round here.::

::If what we're hearing is true, ma'am, than the ones you have around here are the worst sort of people, even without alchemy,:: Ed replied. ::I promise, no one will know where we heard anything.:: The last thing he wanted was for someone who was willing to help them to get into trouble for it.

::I believe you,:: she nodded. ::Now, would you boys like some breakfast?::

The response came in chorus. :Yes please!::

**November 9****th****, 1958**

The cold weather and the constant driving were getting to Edward. In Central it occasionally got cold enough to make his joints ache. Up here that was turning out to be a lot more common. It didn't help that he was spending so much time cramped in the back of the truck. He had aches in places he never would have even a few years ago; cramped muscles, and the long schedule and lack of sleep was taking more of a toll than he had been prepared for.

_I'm beginning to see why Roy hates getting old. _Ed stared out the window when there was no conversation. There was little enough of late. Most everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts and conversation was limited to necessities. Ed shifted his hips to try and find a more comfortable position, grunting as a muscle complained.

"Are you all right?" Winry lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him questioningly. She had remained snuggled up against him since they climbed into the vehicle hours ago. They were both reassured by the contact. Riza was doing the same with Roy.

"Fine," Ed replied, smiling self-consciously. "Just a little stiff."

"Me too," Winry admitted. "What I wouldn't give for another long hot soaking bath."

"When we get back I'll have to arrange that," Ed chuckled softly. A large tub, big enough for two, with lots of steaming hot water and Winry...completely bare. And afterwards they'd curl up and...

"Remind me not to get an adjoining room," Roy snorted as if he had known Ed's thoughts. Ed suspected Roy probably did, but only because he was sure Roy's ran along similar lines in regards to _his_ wife.

Tore shuddered in front of them. "Aren't you too old for that stuff?" he asked, sounding mildly horrified but also intrigued. Given his age, Ed was willing to forgive Tore the _likely_ unintended insult.

Roy snorted a laugh. "Kid, there's no such thing."

The tips of Tore's ears blushed red. "Oh," was his only verbal response.

As Ed shifted one more time the truck came to a stop. ::We should walk from here,:: the Lieutenant said. ::If our directions are correct than the alchemists' laboratory is just up around the bend.::

::So we sneak,:: Ed nodded. They were going to need the element of surprise; especially going up against other alchemists. There was no way they didn't expect some kind of rescue attempt. At least, not unless they were arrogant enough to think themselves too well hidden to find. Ed had to admit that this was pretty far out there.

It took about half an hour to creep through the rocks up towards their intended target and it was late afternoon when they reached the summit and peered cautiously over the ledge.

Tucked in a fold of mountain rock stood what looked like a small fortress. Few windows, few doors, a rectangle of concrete and stone with one end stuck into the mountain itself. Tracks in the snow by one door marked it the main entrance, and one recently and repeatedly used.

Edward tried to ignore his stomach as it growled audibly. "Damn it...I'm so hungry!"

"Shut up, Ed," Roy replied. "If your stomach gives away our location you'll have to hope they get to us first or I'll kill you myself."

"Good luck trying," Ed replied, focusing on what lay before them. Judging by the marks in the snow, there were two entrances easily marked, and likely windows on the other side. Within a minute he had formed a plan. He dropped back down behind the rock outcropping and Roy followed him. "All right," he looked around at their assembled party. "Here's the plan."

"Don't any of the rest of us have a say in this?" Roy grumbled.

"Wait till you hear it before you argue," Ed shrugged. "First, I want a big distraction at the main entrance. Roy, take the Lieutenant and the Major, that's your job."

"What will the rest of us be doing?" Al asked.

"I want you to take Riza and Winry in through the second entrance about two minutes _after_ Roy sends everyone in there running to see what the fuss is up front," Ed looked to his brother. "That way your way should be relatively clear to hunt down Elicia with minimal interference."

"What about you?" Roy snorted.

"Tore and I are going to sneak in from the back," Ed replied, a small smirk coming to his face. "We'll be searching in a different area to help cut down the time it takes to find Elicia. And if we do a little damage on our way in and out..." he shrugged. Frankly, he hoped to do a lot of damage. "It's likely there are other people in there that need rescuing too," he pointed out. "If you can save them, do so."

"Of course," Riza replied, her reply lacking the sarcasm that would have come from her husband. She had a new gun, borrowed from the Drachmans, to replace her lost weapon and she looked ready to use it if necessary.

Winry did not reply verbally but her expression said clearly that she was ready to go save her friend. Tore looked nervous but he was trying hard to look confident. Ed didn't call him on it.

"All right. We get in, get Elicia, get out," Ed nodded. "Move in half an hour. Let's go."

Ed lost sight of the other two groups barely a minute later as he and Tore slipped cautiously off into the rocks and snow-covered brush. He avoided walking in the snow as much as possible. "Best we don't leave signs we're here unless we have to," he whispered to Tore.

The kid nodded, his face screwed into an expression of tense concentration as he did his best to follow Ed's more practiced movements. "Did you mean what you said about getting other people out?" he asked softly.

Ed couldn't help smiling just a little. "Of course. That's what we do isn't it?"

"For the people," Tore said the words as if they suddenly meant something a little different to him, something new.

"There's a few things you need to know before we go in," Ed explained, still keeping to a whisper as he slid behind an outcropping.

"Rules right?" Tore sighed.

"Rules you'll follow if you'd like to survive," Ed confirmed. He had to keep reminding himself that he had been in situations this dangerous at Tore's age plenty of times. So had Ethan, tagging along on some of Sara's missions. This was perhaps more dangerous than some of them, but not by much. What worried him was that Tore did not have as many years of training as he, Al, Ethan, or Sara had at thirteen. "Follow my orders; no hesitation, no questions. Keep low, keep quiet as much as possible, and be ready to see things you'll probably wish you never had."

"Oh is that all," Tore replied, then dropped the flippant attitude. "I got it."

From there on out it was quiet. When they were around the other side of the building, Ed looked out again. The area was deep in late afternoon shadows but he saw what looked like a little service area in the back. Not even a door really; more of a large ventilation shaft. _Perfect. _"We're going in that way."

Tore stared at their entrance point for a moment. "It's awfully small. Are you sure we'll fit?"

Ed resisted the urge to hug the kid. "We'll fit," he replied. He pulled out his watch. Twenty nine minutes. One minute more, then less. "We'll wait for a minute after we hear the signal, then take off for that vent."

Tore nodded. "What will the signal sound like?"

Ed watched the second hand. "Five, four, three, two..."

In the distance the sound of a door squealing as it was blasted off its hinges, followed immediately by gunfire, carried to their ears. "That would be it," Ed smirked. He had known Roy would be good for a distraction!

Silently, Ed counted down the seconds. Down below, he saw three figures dart across the space and vanish in the shadows. He knew those silhouettes. "All right. Go."

Together he and Tore slipped and slid down the rocky embankment and darted for the wall at top speed. There was little to be done to avoid leaving snowy footprints now but they would be found soon enough inside Ed was certain.

Panting, they hit the entrance at the same time, With a clap, Ed transmuted the grate, given them the opening they needed. He crawled in first, Tore right on his heels. The vent - fortunately - did not lead into a long crawlspace, but brought them out almost immediately in a non-temperature sensitive store-room that was stacked full of shelves. Ed stood up, moving over so Tore could join him. "Looks like cheap refrigeration of alchemical components," he whispered.

"So what does that mean?" Tore asked.

"It means we didn't have ridiculously good fortune and stumble straight into where-ever they hold their subjects," Ed replied with a shrug. "We could be near their experiment labs, their holding cells, or their flipping cafeteria."

"Well you did say you were hungry," Tore gave him a cheeky grin.

"Funny," Ed crossed the room to the door and put an ear to it, waiting. He heard noises, the electric hum, the sound of heat in shafts as well perhaps, and then footsteps and voices, but all muffled and moving away from them. "All right. Let's go."

"Just a second," Tore said, crouching down by a panel in the wall and opening it. "How about we save ourselves the trouble of dealing with any alarms and cause a little havoc?"

Ed's interest was piqued. "What did you have in mind?" He crouched down next to his student.

Tore had removed the cover and was drawing a transmutation circle on an electrical box. "Just a little power surge." He finished the sketch and laid his hand on the circle. A moment later it glowed and a shock shot out through the system. Something revved and then Ed heard the sound of bulbs popping, wires overloading, and suddenly all the humming sounds inside the building died outright. If the room they were in hadn't already been dark save for the daylight filtering in, they would have been plunged into darkness.

"Electricity," Ed looked at Tore, feeling a little startled. He knew Tore had been playing with electrical alchemy ever since Will and Ren had sent him that Cretan book, but he'd only ever seen the kid create sparks or power small things. "Nice work."

"Thanks," Tore grinned proudly and stood. "That should complicate things for them."

Ed slowly opened the door and looked around the hallway. It was completely empty. Good. He listened. Without the electricity he could hear better as well. He had to give Tore credit for imaginative thinking and alchemy. "Let's go left," he said finally. That led towards the part of the building encased in the mountain face itself. If they had lower levels, that was as likely a place to have them. _Also a good place to put anything that they really don't want broken into._

The halls were dark but not pitch so. Doors had been left open and from time to time a window somewhere let in diffuse light. Ed's eyes adjusted quickly. Tore stuck close behind him as they moved on down the hall, then another, poking their noses into doorways and seeing what was there. It was mostly supply rooms in that part of the stronghold. For a stronghold it was. They moved on, finding sleeping quarters, not much better than barracks in a couple of rooms, and small private quarters that seemed to belong to a small handful of alchemists. "It looks like Tamirov has students, or conspirators," Ed snorted softly as they moved on. They finally reached the end of another hall that ended online in stairs. "As stereotypical as this is," Ed commented, "I'll bet we'll find Elicia if we go down."

Tore shrugged and nodded, then froze. A second later he tapped Ed's shoulder.

Ed turned to ask what and stopped as he caught it too - the sound of footsteps coming quietly down the hall behind them; the steps of more than one person. He nodded, one hand on Tore's shoulder as they slid up against the wall, waiting to see what came around the turn. Ed pressed him palms together, waiting silently.

A shadowed figure came around the corner and only a startled, "Brother!" said softly, stayed Ed's hand.

Ed let out a soft sigh as Winry and Riza joined Al. "No luck I take it?" he asked as they approached.

"Elicia's definitely not on this level," Winry nodded, whispering.

"Did you have any trouble?" Ed asked.

Riza shook her head. "We had to knock out a couple of inattentive hired thugs but that's all."

"There's no upper level," Al added. "At least not with any entrance we found. There might be an attic of sorts."

"But it's unlikely to hold experiments," Ed knew what Al meant. "We just found the stairs down."

So down they went as a group. In the distance still they heard muffled shouting, gunfire, and explosions. "Trust Roy to make one hell of a distraction."

"He's always been good at that," Riza replied, smirking just a little.

They reached the bottom of the stairway and Ed - at the front - listened for several seconds before moving cautiously out into the hall. He knew the sounds that came to his ears and they made him shudder. "Chimeras."

He had only to utter one word but Al nodded, looking grim. Tore's eyes went wide. Ed moved forward down the hall, Al and Tore directly behind him with Winry and Riza serving as rear-guard.

"There are lights down here," Tore suddenly gasped, barely remembering to whisper.

Ed paused. He was right! "Gas lamps maybe, or a second power supply," he nodded. "We may not be alone down here."

Their search turned out to be surprisingly easy. The first thing they found was clearly the alchemical laboratory where Tamirov worked on his chimeras and several other experiments judging by the notes left open on the counters. Ed felt bile in his throat as he looked at the poor creatures in the cages. Many of them were simply classic Chimeras, some cruder than others, but all mixes of animals.

It was the ones in the back of the large room that made him want to vomit. Humans - or so they had once been - but no more human looking than poor Nina had been when she and Alexander had been joined. There were four, and none of them nearly so complete or well done as those that Greed had freed from Laboratory Five. No Martas here; just failed experiments that stared at them in surprise from wild eyes or lay unconscious in their captivity. They barely looked human.... save one male.

A shocked gasp from behind him made Ed turn and he realized that Tore's eyes were wide with recognition and horror. "Uncle!" he cried out, bolting across the room as fast as his legs would allow, dodging a surgical table and other equipment to reach the cage.

"Tore wait!" Ed reached for his student but he missed the kid's clothing by inches.

Tore hit the edge of the cage before he lost momentum. "Uncle!" he reached for the most human looking of the Chimeras, though all that reminded Ed of a man at all was the eyes, the nose, and the hair on its head which now traversed in an odd wave down its back. There was no sanity in those eyes, but obviously they remained unchanged enough that somewhere in what seemed to be a white bear, badger, human conglomeration was what remained of Tore's living kin.

If the thing had ever been Pierce Closson it did not react as such. It growled and swatted at Tore with big, oddly clawed hands.

Tore leaped backwards, dodging easily, his expression one of shock and hurt. "Uncle Pierce! It's me."

As the boy stood there, Ed closed the distance between them, resting his hand on Tore's shoulder. "He's gone, kid. There's nothing in that mind now of the man he was. You're sure it's him?"

"I'm positive," Tore replied, his voice cracking momentarily. "That...that's not my mother, but they had the same eyes."

"Oh Tore..." Winry's soft exclamation seemed clear in the room.

"Sorry," Ed didn't move. He could feel Tore's body trembling beneath his hand, though he could not have said if it was from sorrow or rage.

"If...if this is where he ended up," Tore finally continued, "than my mother probably came here as well but...I don't see her here."

"Maybe she's with their other captives," Al suggested softly, though Ed didn't think his brother believed that any more than the rest of them. Still, it was a nice thought.

"Doubtful," Tore replied. "But...but we can. We have to find Miss Elicia."

They couldn't free the chimeras. They would be a danger to anyone they came upon. Ed put his hand down and turned away. Tore was right. They needed to find Elicia and anyone who could really be saved.

There _were _cells down the hall. The first two were empty, but when they peeked through the bars on the third...

"Elicia!" Al jumped forward, slamming hard into the bars before he thought to transmute them open, which took only seconds. He was at her side on the floor in an instant, his face a mask of horror that Ed suspected they all mirrored. He heard the gasps behind him. "Oh...oh...Elicia." He grabbed her up in his arms, and tears spilled down Ed's cheeks.

It was Elicia surely and wholly human on the outside at least, but she lay on the cold stone floor, bound and naked, bruises patterning the skin from her knees to her neck, and her head was shaved bare, with marks where Ed suspected diodes or other strange devices he had seen in the lab had been attached. What kinds of experiments had been done he had no real clue, but anyone who would do this to Elicia.... Ed didn't bother to try and quell the rage he felt inside!

"Brother..." Al said urgently. "Brother she's not breathing! I don't think I...."

He was upset. Ed snapped back to business and hurried to Al's side. "Hold still a moment," he growled, laying a hand gently on Elicia's chest. _I'll ask forgiveness later for the lack of propriety,_ he promised Elicia. There was little to feel. Ed clapped his hands together again and laid them down. He wasn't sure if he could do this, but he wasn't looking to transmute anything and he'd been part of the Xing doctors doing it to him enough. At least he could find out the extent of her injuries...or changes, though he shuddered at that thought.

"Ed what are you doing?" Al gasped, looking like he might grab Elicia away again at any moment.

"Checking vitals," Ed replied shortly. Then he delved into the alchemy, merely trying to see what was there and what wasn't. It proved to be much simpler than trying to heal anything. His time being healed had helped him learn to accept the ways of Xing's healing alchemy better than he had realized at the time. It was odd because he could not have said what he was looking for, but he found it soon enough, feelings of _wrong_ in the bloodstream, trace elements that were in concentrations that did not belong there - the alchemist's work certainly. Ed didn't dare try to transmute them into something else, not in Elicia's body. The last thing he wanted to do was kill his _little sister. _Still, he had to do_ something. _He felt back then, tired, and growled. "I'm going to need your help, Al. I don't think I can finish this on my own. I can't generate all the energy needed and guide a transmutation too."

Al looked nervous, but he nodded. "What are you going to do, Ed?"

"Damn it, Al, I don't know for sure but it's better than nothing." He flashed Al a grin he didn't entirely feel. "But you don't think I was just sitting there passively while they were working on me in Xing do you? I've got to do something, and I promise I won't hurt her, but I need your help. She's alive. I want to keep her that way."

"Careful, Ed." Winry said softly from just over his left shoulder.

"Don't worry," Ed tried to assure them all. Elicia's body was still too cold, too pale, and if she breathed it was too shallow for him to tell in the dim light. "Okay, Al. Let's do this."

Al clapped his hands together and Ed began again, feeling an odd moment when Al's alchemic power _merged_ with his. All Ed had to do was guide it. He found the wrong places full of alchemical potions again, and this time he could tell that her body was trying to fight them back. Her heart was beating, her lungs gathering air ever so slowly. Her body fought weakly, but it fought. Using the energy they had, Ed guided it into those places, urging on the fight and offering replenished stores to her failing body. No, Elicia wasn't dead but if they hadn't gotten here...how long would she have lasted?

"Come on, kiddo," Ed whispered softly into her ear. "I was there when you came into this world and I'm not about to watch you leave it just yet. Besides…my brother needs you." Ed held the transmutation for as long as he could, taking stock of her body and lending it strength, letting it heal anything it might need to. It wasn't long before Ed was covered in sweat, despite Al's assistance. Finally Ed collapsed, leaning against his hands and panting heavily.

"Well?" Al asked, looking even more wrung out than Ed felt.

"She's alive," Ed replied, panting. "And she's still human...for now." That was what had worried him most. If they had already managed to make her a chimera, or started the process…. But they were lucky; her body was still fighting the substances he couldn't transmute without fully understanding their composition. "But she's sick and she's still weak. We need to get her out of her and get her to a doctor."

"She'll freeze like that," Winry scowled. "Riza, let's see what we can find to cover her."

Ed nodded as the women left, working to catch his breath. Almost any alchemical feat he might attempt felt like nothing...except when he tried to use Xing's style of alchemy. He knew it tired Ethan and Mei and Ren and the other doctors he had met, but it seemed to tire them so much less except for large transmutations. "Warmth is good."

Al was already undoing her bindings, cradling Elicia close, but she did not stir. "I'll keep her warm," he whispered, taking her into his lap and pulling off his coat, draping it over her battered body.

Tore looked even more ill than he had in the laboratory. "They're monsters," he growled as he looked on.

"They are," Ed agreed, making himself sit upright. "Let's get moving. We need to get out of here. Roy and the soldiers can't keep them all distracted forever."

Standing, with Al keeping Elicia gathered up in his arms, they headed back out into the hallway. Riza and Winry met them at the stairs with a battered blanket. "We couldn't find her clothes," Winry apologized.

Al gave her a weak, grateful smile. "That's okay, Winry. You tried."

"We'll take the exit you came in from," Ed said as they hurried up the stairs and down the hall. He knew that Al, and probably even Riza, wouldn't fit through the opening Tore and Ed had, especially not carrying Elicia.

Riza, gun drawn, took the lead and for a while it looked like they might make it out scot free, at least until they rounded the last corner and came face to face with a group of four men. Before they could draw their weapons Riza had fired four rounds, disarming two of them and wounded the others - one in the arm and the other inside his thigh. Both of them went down howling and the others were startled enough by stinging hands that Ed had time to transmute the walls around them, locking them all to walls and floor, unable to move, but no needless deaths today.

"Run!" Riza shoved as they heard more running footsteps. "They've figured out Roy's not the only one here."

The door was open and they _ran_! Out into the twilight, into the fast-darkening mountains they ran across the snow towards the rocks. Ed insisted on falling to the back. Turning, he sent a surge of dirt and snow back against the building, barring the door completely. He heard the startled shouts of the people inside.

Not waiting around, Ed turned and fled after his family. Scrambling up the rocks, ignoring the scrapes his hand was taking, the bumps to his legs and body. When he reached the top he tumbled over, falling down behind a large rock. Panting, Ed tried not to voice the thought that briefly flitted across his mind. _Damn it...I am _not _too old for this!_ He ignored the protesting muscles in his side that claimed otherwise. "Is everyone all right," he asked, sucking in the cold air.

"Unhurt," Winry confirmed, "As far as that goes. We've got Elicia bundled up as best we can. Let's get back to the truck."

"If we can," Riza replied skeptically. "The fight has moved, and Roy and the Drachmans took the vehicle with them. Look."

"Shit," Ed dragged himself over towards another ledge and peered over. Below he could just see the front of the building and the devastation wrought by the Flame Alchemist. There wasn't a bit of snow left on that side of the little valley, just rock and dirt and flaming piles that used to be the alchemists' vehicles, or those belonging to their allies. Further back, it looked like someone had trashed the military vehicle with a long-range alchemical attack.

The fight was still going on, though it looked like it would soon be over. The two soldiers were hiding behind a rock outcropping with Roy, and the only weapon still in use on their end was alchemy though there seemed nothing left to burn. Several scorched bodies lay in the ground, whether dead by gunshot or fire first there was no way to tell. As Ed watched, Roy gestured to the two soldiers, who started running back down the hill and out of sight. The remains of the alchemist's men retreated inside as soon as Roy gave them a moment's break. Within the stone walls, they likely did not fear burning. Roy turned and ran as well.

Ed dropped back down. "They're retreating. Let's meet up and get the hell out of here."

Together they made their way back down to where they had originally parked the truck which was now gone. It took longer, with Al carrying Elicia, but it was manageable. Roy and the soldiers met them there, exhausted but waiting. Roy's eye widened as he caught side of Elicia. "I should go back and burn the bastards for this," he growled as he hurried over to Al's side. Bundled in Al's coat, the blanket, and with Winry's hat on over her shaved head, Elicia's injuries were not immediately evident, but her still, pale form was enough to make every heart ache.

"We need to get her to a doctor before anything else," Riza cut in before anyone could explain. "What happened to the truck Roy?"

The Flame Alchemist fidgeted. "We used it to drive up quickly, as part of the distraction. That way they didn't know how many we had right off and it looked more like a military operation. I wasn't expecting _other_ forms of alchemical fire."

_Alchemist's fire; _grenades in essence, but effective and clinging. Ed sighed. "Well let's get moving before they get organized enough to send a party out to hunt us down or realize what we've got."

The road was, fortunately, mostly clear of snow, but they had to be cautious. The party moved off the road, using rocks to hide themselves despite the slowness of movement. Ed didn't want to think about how long it would take them to get back to even the next town this way, but they had to make it. The travelers were grimly quiet, not daring to speak unless necessary, conserving strength as they headed through the mountains.

They trudged, Ed estimated, about ten miles, following roughly near the road, into full darkness before they had to stop. Al refused to let anyone else carry Elicia though he was clearly exhausted. They all were.

"But where will we sleep?" Winry asked, shivering. "It's too cold to camp."

Ed flashed a reassuring smile. "That's what you think. You've got us with you this time, Winry." He walked over to the nearest stone cliff, clapped his hands together, and smacked them against the rocks. There was a flash, a flare, and in a few seconds there was an opening just wide and tall enough for them to get through. "Instant hotel. Sorry it doesn't have much in the way of amenities."

::It's better than freezing,:: the Lieutenant commented, looking awed.

They all made their way inside the dark cavern, and once they were there, Ed changed the entrance so that it jutted out more like a rock outcropping and bent so the opening was invisible from the road for certain. Then he closed it except for a very small hole to let in fresh breathable air. "There. Warm and cozy."

"Cozy anyway," Al commented in the darkness.

"Leave the rest to me," Roy said. Ed saw a spark as Roy snapped his fingers, and a moment later the smaller rocks in the room all began to glow like rocks that had been heated in a fire pit.

They gathered the stones into a pile in the middle of the cavern, and it was just enough light to see by despite the very dim glow that came from outside. It was almost as bright as a campfire, and given it was a small space, it bounced easily off the walls. Most importantly, they gave off plenty of heat.

Their little hiding place began to warm and everyone settled in around the edges. Ed sat down next to Al, hoping Winry would join him, but she went to Elicia first. "Let me see her, Al." When he hesitated, she smiled softly. "I'm the closest thing we have to a doctor right now. I just want to check on her after all the running around we've done in this weather. She's weak enough as it is."

Al gently uncovered Elicia enough for Winry to check the basics. Ed averted his eyes. The least they could do was protect as much of Elicia's battered modesty as they could. The two soldiers sat on the other side of the rocks, cleaning their guns, and Roy and Riza sat closer to the entrance, cuddled close. Tore, on the other side of Ed, sat with his back to Ed and his knees tucked up to his chest, hugging them tight with his arms.

Ed leaned over. "Are you all right?" He suspected he already knew the answer to that.

Tore's shoulders shrugged. "Should I be?"

"Everybody's different," Ed replied. "But even though it's not the first time I've seen the atrocities some alchemists are capable of, it still makes me sick."

"That... that _thing_ used to be my uncle," Tore finally stammered out softly. "I know it. He wasn't great or anything but he was family. I... if he's like that than my Mom probably is too if..." he trailed off, but Ed didn't need to hear the rest to know Tore's thoughts. _If she isn't dead._ A sick woman subjected to such torments stood little chance of survival. Elicia was lucky she hadn't been in there long and was still worse off than Ed wanted to consider.

"If she was that ill, she probably never got turned into a chimera," Ed replied. It wasn't a lie, not really. She would never have survived the transmutation. "We still don't know for sure if she was ever even here. Could your uncle have been taken and not her?"

"Maybe," Tore nodded, seeming utterly un-cheered by the prospect. "I... can we talk about something else? I don't want to talk right now."

"Sure, kid." Ed sat back, turning around to find Winry had once more covered Elicia. "How is she?"

"Fevered," Winry replied softly. "Not too high I don't think, but she's still unconscious, and I don't think she's eaten in at least a couple of days. She needs water and I think we could all use a good meal."

"Too bad there's none of that to be had," Roy griped.

Ed sighed. He was exhausted, but only bruised and sore. This was something he could handle. "I'll be back in a little while," he said, groaning as he got back to his feet, "with water tonight and food by morning." He changed the entrance enough once more for him to slip through, sealed it, and trudged out into the snow. A rock bowl of snow to melt and a few rabbit traps he could handle. Surely there were some small creatures, rabbits or otherwise, that lived out here. Hopefully fat stupid ones that would be tasty cooked over a fire.

Ironic to be hunting rabbits now like he had as a boy, but Ed was grateful. An odd ache inside him made Ed pause in setting his first trap until he realized it wasn't physical. He missed Izumi. Once more training he had gotten from her teaching - however indirectly - was saving the life of himself and those he cared about.

He just hoped that Elicia could hold out long enough.


	8. Chapter 8

**November 11th, 1958**

It took two days to reach the nearest town but to Alphonse it felt like twenty. Ed had returned quickly as promised that first night, with snow that the heat melted to cool water enough for them all to drink and to soothe Elicia's fevered skin as Riza offered her scarf up as a cloth. It had taken Al time to get water into his wife's still form, but even unconscious the will to survive was there.

The horror that had struck him at the sight of her in the laboratory's underground cells had not faded. Al held Elicia to him and refused to let anyone else share the task, soothing her and protecting her even though he knew that there was nothing to protect her from in Ed's clever hiding place. He just didn't want to admit there was nothing else he could do.

Elicia didn't wake that night, or the next day, or in any time on their trek to the next town. Edward's traps snagged two rabbits the first morning and three in the next place they stopped. Barely meat enough for nine people, but that and water were better than nothing.

Al fretted, more concerned for the moment with Elicia's unconsciousness than his growling stomach. _I'm so sorry, Elicia. I should have gotten there faster. Please wake up. Come back to me. _Irrational it might be, but Al couldn't help the guilt that plagued him or the worry that, despite getting Elicia back, there might be something irrevocably wrong. He tried to think positive, but for once in his life he found it almost impossible.

Tired and dragging they reached the town late in the day and headed straight for the local tavern. The town was small enough and far enough out that it did not have even a real bed and breakfast. Travelers were rare.

Their arrival was not met with even the cautious friendliness they had received on the way in.

::Tamirov's men were here yesterday,:: the owner told them. ::They made a lot of noise about theft and destruction of property and that anyone caught helping you would be killed outright.::

::We just want to get out of here,:: Ed explained, gesturing to Elicia. ::But she needs a doctor badly.::

The man looked helplessly at Elicia for a moment, clearly torn between helping out people hurt by someone he despised and feared and worry for the safety of himself and his own family. ::We have an old truck parked in the garage,:: he said at last. ::It's not comfortable, and it won't seat you all inside, but it runs.::

::Thank you,:: Al felt his spirits lift for the first time in days.

It only took an hour to get the truck filled, some supplies, and pile everyone into it before they were on the road again toward Petrayevka at all speed. There really was very little room inside, so the Lieutenant was assigned to drive since he had proven the best for the job, and Winry and Riza sat in the front seat with him. Alphonse insisted on riding in the smaller back seat with Elicia. No one else tried. There was no argument that she should rest comfortably, and so she lay, now dressed in an old nightgown the tavern owner's wife had given up, and still wrapped in the blanket, her head resting on Al's lap. Roy, Ed, Tore, and the Major rode in the back of the truck, bundled up warm and dealing with the cold wind and the bouncing and jostling on the mountain roads.

With the cessation of fresh snow a couple of days before, truck ruts in the road between the small villages were clear and plentiful, and that meant that their own passing would be unremarkable.

Elicia's fever hadn't broken but it was lower. Al stroked her back, pressed cool cloths to her forehead from time to time, and tried to get her to drink water whenever she stirred at all. Al had anticipated the worst, he had anticipated the best - finding Elicia escaped the way Winry and Riza had managed - but the reality was almost worse than both. He had Elicia back; he should be relieved, but he couldn't help the niggling thoughts that said he could still lose her again.

**November 13****th****, 1958**

Except for gas and food stops, the truck pushed straight through back to Petrayveka. Whether they were ahead of, behind, or just on a completely different trail from Tamirov's men Alphonse had no idea. Everyone was just grateful that they did not have any run-ins that might cost them time or their lives. The Lieutenant, Major, and Edward all took turns driving.

"How's the back," Winry asked the first time Edward switched out to drive.

"Agony," Ed chuckled. "I've got aches in places I forgot I had and I can't feel my feet right now." He sounded in surprisingly good spirits for it though.

"Are you feeling okay?" Al asked Ed suspiciously.

Ed's smile faded as he turned to face forward, buckled up, and they started moving again. "They haven't caught us and Elicia's stable. Right now I'll count any blessing we can get."

Al tried to focus on the positives. If _Ed_ could, surely Al could manage that much!

"I'll take a turn," Tore offered at one point while he was crammed up front with Ed and the girls, thawing out. In reply, Ed snorted and shook his head, though he looked rather amused.

"Maybe in a year or two," Ed smirked before his expression returned to something more neutral. "These roads are slick and nasty. They're not safe for learning on."

Tore accepted the explanation without one of the sarcastic comments Al had come to expect when Tore and Ed started sniping at each other the way Ed and Roy had when Ed was that age. Whether it was a sign of maturity or Tore's continued need to deal with the horrors he had just witnessed firsthand, Al didn't know. Much like Ed, Tore would be upbeat one moment, snarky the next, and then downright depressed, then up again. He flitted through emotions like a butterfly in wildflowers.

Everyone was exhausted and edgy by the time they saw Petrayevka in the distance.

"Finally," Riza sighed with obvious relief.

::We'll go straight to the hospital,:: the Lieutenant said, and no one argued.

They arrived after sunset, but there were no suggestions of stopping anywhere to eat or even tell the government they were back before they made sure Elicia was seen to. Rushed inside, she was immediately taken to a room where a physician met them. Al gently settled Elicia in the bed while Edward and the Drachman officers explained the situation to the physician, who sounded mildly overwhelmed and shocked when he found out what had happened and knew who his patient was.

Al was prepared for bad news. What he was not prepared for was the doctor's insistence that he leave the room. ::What for?:: Al asked stubbornly.

::So you won't interfere with the examination,:: the doctor snorted. ::I and my nurses will handle it and you will simply crowd and slow matters. Wait outside.::

"Al," Ed's auto-mail hand came down on his shoulder, startling Al out of his intended angry response. "Let them do their jobs. It's best for Elicia. She'll be okay."

The soft concern in Ed's voice made any objection seem irrational. Al sighed and followed his brother to the waiting room, where he sat with the rest of them for nearly an hour. Or rather, some of them sat. Winry and Riza were seen to by another physician who checked their general health and took a look at the bump on Winry's head and then Riza's ankle. The two Drachman officers found a phone and called their headquarters to report, then let the Amestrians know they were going in person, but had also called the embassy to let Groves know they were all back and mostly intact.

Roy sat with Riza, and Edward alternately sat close with Winry or stood, moving from place to place occasionally and leaning here, or looking out the window, as unable to hold still when nervous as ever. It was obvious that he was worried about Elicia too. It was oddly comforting that everyone was worried even though it wasn't a surprise in the least.

Tore passed out on one of the benches, the teenager clearly exhausted from days of rigor he wasn't used to, fear, and even work as an alchemist. This had to be a lot for the kid.

Al... paced. He couldn't help it. He felt like a caged animal and he hated being away from Elicia for even a minute after everything that had happened recently. So when a nurse finally allowed him back inside it was all Al could do not to run her over getting back to Elicia's side!

Winry and Ed followed him in. Al could hear their steps as he crouched down beside Elicia's sleeping form. ::How is she?:: Al asked, solely focused on his beautiful wife. He hoped it wasn't his imagination that she looked better or, at least, more at rest. Her breathing looked steadier.

::We have given her medicine for the fever,:: the doctor replied, ::And for pain. Most of the extent of her injuries is external bruising. There appears to be no interior bleeding or damage.::

Al felt the knot in his belly start to loosen. ::That's good news.::

At least until Ed spoke up again. ::You said _most..._::

The doctor was silent for several long seconds. ::There are two things that concern me. The first is the compounds in her blood. I do not know how long they will take to leave her system, or _if _they will, and we do not entirely understand them. So I cannot tell you fully what they may do. I can only discuss possibilities.::

::I can tell you what they are,:: Ed said immediately. ::I don't know how to remove them either. That's not my area of expertise as an alchemist.::

::Anything you can tell me will be extremely helpful,:: the doctor looked startled and hopeful. ::But first, the second concern. I... while I do not know who it was, I'm sorry, but it seems that aside from being beaten your wife was... abused by her captors.::

At first, Al missed the reference. Confused, he looked up at the doctor. ::Well that's clear! They...:: his words broke off in a strangled gasp as he took in the meaning. "Those bastards!" He shouted, standing bolt upright in his anger before he even realized he had moved. _I'll get them for this! _The violation disgusted him deep down and for a moment he thought he might vomit. He turned and headed for the door, feeding on the righteous anger that filled him. He'd blow their fortress to the heavens! He'd drag them out and beat them until they cried for mercy. He'd-

"Al!" Ed was standing firmly in his way. "Hold on!"

For the first time in a long time, Al shoved Ed out of the way. "Move, Ed. I'm going to make them sorry they ever _looked_ at Elicia!"

Or at least, tried to shove. Ed moved only inches and then shoved back, still between Al and the door. "I know you're angry," Ed scowled. "What they did is despicable. We'll get them, but we just got here and we're all exhausted."

"I don't care!" Al grabbed Ed's coat and tried to drag him out of the way. "I'm not going to rest until I--oof!" He doubled over as Ed punched him in the stomach! Forcing himself upright Al tried to take a swing at his brother, but Ed dodged it easily and grabbed Al, who realized too late the mistake he'd made as he went tumbling to the ground with Ed on top, pinning him by the shoulders.

"Damn it, Alphonse!" Ed snarled, straddling Al's stomach. "Don't make me kick your ass!"

The ferocious anger in Ed's face, only inches from Al's, was like a sobering drink. Ed was just as angry about this as Al was. Al only made a half-hearted attempt to struggle, Ed had him well pinned and in a controlling position on top. The anger remained, but the sudden uncontrolled fury drained away, his tired body not up to sustaining it. Adrenaline drained and he lay still. "Fine," he replied flatly. "Will you get off me?"

"Only when you promise me you're not going to run off and get yourself killed on some personal quest for revenge," Ed replied, unmoving. "Elicia won't think either of us if you run off and die."

"I promise," Al snorted. "Now get off before I suffocate."

Ed smirked humorlessly as he stood up and offered Al a hand. "I'm not heavy enough to smother you."

Al turned around to see Winry's concerned expression and the doctor's patently neutral one. Suddenly he felt ashamed. ::I'm sorry,:: he replied.

::Your anger is understandable,:: the doctor replied. ::Please restrain yourself however, or you will be asked to leave.::

::I'll behave.:: Al returned to Elicia's side. ::How long do you think she will be unconscious? It's been days.::

::That I cannot say for certain,:: the doctor replied. ::We shall see when the fever breaks. General,:: he turned to Ed. ::If you would consult with me in private.::

::Of course.:: Ed followed the doctor out of the room but Al did not turn his eyes from Elicia again.

When they were gone, Al squeezed her limp hand in his, taking what little comfort he could from the fact that she felt less fevered and seemed to be resting more comfortably than she had in days. Her bald head was a blatant reminder of what had happened, and he wanted to hurt them for shaving off her beautiful hair. There was no good reason for such a vain and awful disfigurement. At least it would grow again. Tears welled in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Elicia," he whispered the words he had thought so often, but not dared to voice in the company of everyone else who would tell him it wasn't his fault.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump. "She'll be all right, Al." It was Winry, and before he could move she hugged him from behind. "Elicia's as strong as the rest of us."

"Maybe in spirit," Al sighed, wet eyes stinging, "But she's never been a fighter,Winry. She's never been in danger before, not once. This was supposed to be safe, fun, a harmless adventure... and she almost died for it."

"Almost," Winry replied softly. "But she's still here, still fighting. She fought as hard as Riza and I did when they took us. Do you think they'd have beaten her as bad as they did if she didn't try and fight them to? I bet she gave them a heck of a time."

While it sure didn't look like it, Al couldn't argue Winry's point, and her soothing presence, like it had been since they were kids, helped him regain some semblance of calm. "Thanks, Winry."

"She's my sister as much as you're my brother," Winry chuckled, loosening her grip. "I'm worried too, Al, but dwelling on the worst never improves the situation. When the government hears what happened they'll probably send troops in to deal with them once and for all and that will be an end to the horrible misuses of alchemy we saw."

Al wasn't entirely sure Winry believed that last, but she obviously hoped for it. "We'll see," he replied with a heavy sigh. For a couple of minutes of shared silence he simply watched Elicia sleep, then he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Under his lips, she stirred. Al sat back up, watching hopefully. "Winry, I think she's waking up!"

Elicia's brow furrowed then eased and her eyes blinked open, staring upward at the ceiling, first blank, then confused, then they widened in terror and she opened her mouth... and screamed!  
"Elicia," Al immediately squeezed her hand, trying to calm her! "Elicia it's all right!"

She looked at him, almost as if unseeing, and quivered in terror. She shrieked louder and struggled, yanking away from him! "_Get away! Don't touch me! Stay away!_" she shouted, tumbling off the other side of the bed.

Stunned, Al stood and tried to catch her. Failing that he tried to get around the bed. "Elicia, honey, it's me, it's Alphonse. Please calm down I-"

"Stop it!" She shouted; no recognition evident. "Don't! No more!" She shoved away, curling up in the corner.

Footsteps pounded and the doctor and Ed returned as Al stood there, shocked and hurt. Didn't she recognize him? Or was Elicia upset with him for not being there? "Elicia?"

Ed looked shocked, as did Winry, but the doctor seemed un-phased. ::Step back, please,:: he said firmly. ::She's panicking.::

"I can see that!" Al snapped, but he backed up a few steps. "But what do I do? Doesn't she recognize us?"

::At this moment she may not know you.::

"What do you mean she may not know me?!" Al rounded fully on the doctor.

The doctor paused a moment, translating in his mind likely, before replying. ::There is often temporary disorientation dealing with unconscious patients when they revive, especially given odd foreign substances that might be messing with the brain. The ones General Elric here has explained to me would be a likely culprit. Right now in her delirium she may well think we are the men who hurt her.::

Not only had the bastard - or bastards - beaten and tortured and violated her, now Elicia might not even know him? It was just too much. ::It... it's temporary right?::

::In most cases,:: the doctor replied with a nod. ::Give her time. Right now her entire body chemistry is messed up and given how she was treated that is difficult for even a seasoned soldier or more worldly-wise person to deal with on an emotional level. Tie all that in with the fever and it is not surprising. It should pass as she improves.::

::May I try and calm her?:: Winry asked, looking at the doctor.

::A woman may be less threatening,:: he agreed with a nod.

Helpless, angry, and hurt by Elicia's blatant terror at his very presence, Al got out of the way as Winry stepped forward. "Elicia," Winry spoke softly, crouched down next to her friend. "Elicia, it's Winry. You're safe. You've been rescued. It's all right."

Elicia was trembling, eyes wide but seemingly unseeing. Then she looked at Winry, staring so hard she might as well be staring through her. "Winry? They... but you're dead! You and Riza both he said he.... said you were gone! He said..." she began sobbing.

He'd told her they were dead? How depraved could one man get? Al trembled as Winry reached out and lightly touched Elicia's arm. "I'm alive, Elicia. So is Riza. We _were_ gone; we escaped. We're fine. We tried to get you. We came back for you, with Alphonse and Roy and Edward. It's okay. I'm not dead and neither are you. See, you can feel me can't you?"

Elicia watched her disbelievingly for several long seconds then looked down at Winry's hand on her arm. Slowly she reached out and clutched Winry's hand with hers. "Oh, Winry!" she gasped, breaking out into bawling tears as she collapsed into Winry's arms.

Winry wrapped her arms around her, stroking Elicia's back as she would any child. "It's all right now," she soothed. "No one can hurt you anymore. We're here. It's all right."

Al couldn't remember feeling more helpless, not even when Elicia was missing and they were still going to her rescue. Now she was here and he could do nothing, not even touch her.

::Visiting hours end strictly at eight o'clock,:: the doctor informed them.

::But that's in twenty minutes,:: Al objected. He couldn't leave Elicia now! He looked back at his crying wife.

::She is in no danger here,:: the doctor pointed out firmly. ::Safe from harm and clearly in no danger of expiring in the near future, of that I assure you. What she needs right now is rest. We will give her a sedative and let her sleep while she heals. Once the fever is broken and she is truly rested she will be more responsive.::

Al's next objection was forestalled by a warning glint in Ed's eyes that turned quickly to brotherly concern. "Al, there's nothing more we can do tonight. Tomorrow, when we're all rested, we can deal with things sensibly."

"Sensibly?" It was one of the last things Al would have expected to hear from Ed of all people. That was _his _line... normally. "All right," he resigned himself to a long, sleepless night. ::How early can we come back?:: he asked the doctor, his eyes still locked on Winry as she helped Elicia up and back onto the bed, the younger woman still clinging to her friend tightly.

::Eight in the morning,:: the doctor replied.

::We'll be back then.:: Al turned and stalked out of the room. He couldn't take it anymore. _Useless... that's all I am here. _Absolutely useless to the woman he loved more than anything.

* * *

Cars were waiting, courtesy of Groves, to drive them all back to the Embassy. The Ambassador was relieved to see them. "Thank goodness you're safe," he said as they came in the door. "I'm so sorry to hear about Elicia. Will she be all right?"

"In time," Edward answered for Al, who hadn't spoken a word since they left the hospital. Given the situation, Ed thought it best to let him be for now. In time Al would sort himself out. Ed knew he'd be a mess in the same position. He wanted to go drive a sword through Tamirov's balls as it was.

"I'm told there's a session planned for the morning to discuss the matter," Groves informed them as they settled down around the dining table to wait for food to be served. Dinner had been delayed when the call came that they had returned. "I intend to go of course."

"We'll go," Roy commented immediately in his most stubborn no-argument tone.

Riza nodded. "They'll need someone there who was a part of the mission. Roy and I will handle that."

There were no objections. Ed thought it was a good idea. Certainly it shouldn't be Al, who seemed unlikely to be willing to do anything but go back to Elicia as early as he could get back inside the building. Winry and Tore would stick with him. The two military officers would almost certainly be in attendance at that session as well. "We'll stick with Al and Elicia tomorrow," he voiced his own preference. Again, there were no objections though he wasn't entirely sure Al was paying attention. He seemed totally lost in his own thoughts.

Dinner was quiet though ravenously devoured. Their first truly full meal in days, no one nibbled delicately or worried much about table-manners. Roy and Riza finished first, vanishing up to their room immediately after, then the Groves'. Tore and Al were the only ones still eating when Ed and Winry went upstairs.

Restless, irritable, Ed wanted to get his mind off everything if he could. Tired as he was, he wasn't sure whether he should find it amusing or pathetic that he craved Winry's company on a purely instinctual level. It was their first night alone since the kidnapping and if he needed a distraction he knew the one that worked best.

As soon as the door closed behind them he pulled Winry to him with a heated kiss, hoping she wasn't going to turn him down tonight. After everything that had happened, it would be her right and he wouldn't argue, but it would be depressing.

Winry seemed startled but she kissed him back, apparently in full understanding of his current frame of mind. She wrapped her arms around him and didn't fight when he steered them towards the bed.

Nearly an hour later, feeling physically spent, the irritated inability to hold still thoroughly worked out of him, Ed cuddled under the covers with Winry, her head resting nestled in between his side and right arm, her body pressed against his down the length, warm and alive. "Feel better?" she asked softly, kissing his cheek.

Ed sighed, turning his face to look into those beautiful blue eyes. "Yeah, thank you."

"You're welcome," Winry replied gently, her hand still lazily tracing little patterns on his chest with her fingers. It was a pleasant sensation. "I needed the distraction too," she admitted. "I feel so bad for Elicia and..."

"Alphonse?" They were of the same mind tonight it seemed. Ed nodded. "I've never seen him so rattled Winry or so.... outraged. I've seen him lose his temper, and I've seen him really angry with someone but this..."

"This is usually your department," Winry replied in a phrase that was both quip and sensible observation in one. "Given the emotional strain he's under, I'm just glad he's held up this well. Once Elicia's better he'll be all right."

Ed cringed. "That's... that's what I'm not so sure of."

Winry's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

The last thing Ed really wanted to do was share what information had passed between himself and the doctor. "I'm not sure how much Elicia will fully recover," he admitted, "Neither is the doctor. I mean, sure the fever will break, she'll be healthier, but we don't know how to get her system cleared of everything Tamirov did to her and... Well think about it Winry, what kind of a mess was I after the Xing War?"

"Bad at first," Winry replied, following his train of thought easily, "In the head longer than physically."

"And I'm a trained soldier," Ed pointed out flatly. "I've been seeing and dealing out death since I was a teenager. This kind of thing is my life. Much worse has happened to me, and even to you. But other than Hughes' death, Elicia had no preparation for anything like this, no experience to harden her or give her a way to deal."

Winry did not look surprised by his revelations. The sadness in her eyes spoke clearly that she had considered the same thing. "She's no weakling though, Ed. She's always had a strong mind. Besides, she has Al and the kids and all of us."

"And she'll need all of us I think," Ed agreed. Damn, this was making his head hurt! His own worries swirled around in his head, as buzzing as ever despite his temporarily successful attempts to keep his mind elsewhere. "Permission to get gloriously piss-ass drunk?"

"Permission denied, General," Winry replied with a small shake of her head and a sad smirk. She hugged him tightly.

Ed sighed but smiled weakly, squeezing her shoulders with the arm around them. "Yes ma'am." It was the answer he had known was coming, but he had to ask anyway. Somehow that definitive _no_ made it easier on those rare occasions when he really wanted to find a fast way to temporary oblivion. "I had to ask."

"I know," Winry nodded. "Talk about a mess of things. Someday I'd like to take a trip with you that doesn't involve this kind of drama."

"I'm sorry," Ed apologized, feeling a twinge of guilt again. He hadn't meant for this to happen. The feeling of almost losing her again was still fresh enough that he'd had bad dreams the past few nights during what little sleep he had managed to catch.

"It's not your fault, Ed," Winry assured him. "These things just happen and we were invited up here. I doubt the government really expected us to get kidnapped. After all, it really strains relations between the countries."

"There is that," Ed sighed. He had entertained notions of conspiracy, but they seemed far-fetched even to him. He shifted his weight, trying to get comfortable.

"Are you all right?" Winry asked, loosening her grip briefly.

Ed couldn't help the slightly abashed smile as he shrugged. "Just another moment where I don't want to admit I'm over twenty-five. A full stomach and a little fun with you don't seem to go as well together as they used to." Or at least, that was what he said partially in gest.

As usual, it didn't work. Winry shook her head again. "True as that might be I'm not buying it. There's more troubling you." Oh how well she knew him.

Ed sighed, giving up. "It's just - I thought I was done with chimeras and human transmutation, Winry. Back home we finally have things peaceful; no open violence, especially not against the military, no major alchemical taboos broken in a full generation. It seemed like we were past this, but still there are _idiots_ who want to learn things the hard way and will hurt people to do it!"

"Easy," Winry ran her hand down his chest as he tensed. "You're undoing all that nice calm we had going a few minutes ago."

"Sorry," Ed exhaled and tried to relax again. Maybe tomorrow he should take a little time and try some of those Xingese relaxation techniques Old Bao had taught him. "It's frustrating and infuriating and I just don't know the best way to go about handling it." That was what really bugged him. What he _wanted_ to do was bully the military into sending a proper offensive against that little fortress and demolishing the place and everyone in it. Those poor chimeras were better off dead anyway. But that wasn't how this worked, at least not without proper diplomatic channels.

"With patience," Winry suggested. "We're all safe now so there's no immediate threat. Coming after us in Petrayevka would be suicide. Let's see what happens tomorrow and leave it until tomorrow."

"I'll try," Ed promised, pulling her close for a softer but no less meaningful kiss than the ones they had shared earlier. "But the rest of me may take a little more convincing."


	9. Chapter 9

**November 14th, 1958**

Alphonse wolfed down breakfast the next morning. He was anxious to get back to Elicia but he suspected he was rushing things when he felt like _Edward_ was dawdling over a meal. Roy and Riza left with Groves to go over to the government district to see what was going on with the situation on that end. "Are we ready yet?" Al asked impatiently.

"We'll get there," Winry replied calmly as Ed helped her with her coat. "Visiting hours will just be starting when we arrive anyway," she pointed out.

They all got into coats and went over to the hospital. The doctor - Bure Al finally registered his name - was waiting for them. ::She is awake,:: he said to Al. ::The fever broke early this morning. She is drinking and eating on her own.::

::That's good news!:: Al felt his heart lift. That was much better than last night. Surely she would remember him this morning, right?

::She is nervous around men,:: Doctor Bure continued. ::I've had female nurses caring for her. Still, she has asked for you.::

Al didn't respond, pushing past and heading into Elicia's room without further prompting. Elicia wanted him!

Elicia was sitting up in the bed, the remains of breakfast on the tray on the table beside. As he entered, she jumped slightly at the sudden movement before recognition lit in her eyes. "Alphonse..." she whispered softly. Tears budded in her eyes.

Had he done something wrong? She didn't seem afraid of him this morning, so Al kept moving forward. "Elicia, love, I'm here." He reached for her open-armed, hoping she would not panic the way she had last night.

She didn't. Tears started to run down her cheeks as she held out her own arms. "Oh, Al!" she sobbed and as he sat down she fell against him, crying her heart out again.

Al clutched her tightly; grateful that at least this time it was _him_ in whom she sought comfort. "It's all right," he whispered. "I love you."

She did not reply immediately but continued to sob, her arms tightly around his chest.

::She will likely be emotional for some time,:: the doctor commented softly as he came in after Al.

Al understood that. He expected it. No one went through something so traumatic without emotional damage. ::I know.::

Several minutes later, Elicia seemed to have cried herself out for the time being. She sat up, looking tearfully up at Al and then gasped, her hand going to her head. "I, oh... don't look!" she looked away. "Please don't look. I..."

"Elicia," Al gently took her chin with his fingers and turned her back to face him. "It's all right. Your hair will grow back. You look fine. To me you always look beautiful."

"You really are blind," Elicia sighed, but a tiny smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "It's awful."

"Nah," Al shook his head, smirking. "You have a pretty head."

"Oh, Alphonse," she clung to him again, not crying this time. At least, not as much. "It was so horrible! He... he _lied_! He said Winry and Riza were dead! Then he wanted to make... make me into a chimera! And when I tried to argue he..." she broke off again, tears falling.

"I know," Al forced the words through a throat tight with anguish. "I'll get him for this, Elicia. I promise you he'll be sorry Very sorry."

"Stay with me," she replied tremulously. "Just stay. I need you."

"I'm not going anywhere right now," Al assured her.

For a time they sat in silence and eventually she seemed to drift off to sleep against his shoulder. ::Is she still under sedative?:: Al asked the doctor, concerned.

::It wore off this morning,:: Bure shook his head. ::She is exhausted and her body continues to heal, from wounds, from illness, hunger, and fighting the chemicals in her system. Give her time.::

As if he had a choice. ::As much as she needs,:: he replied, as much to himself as to the doctor. While she looked like she was recovering well, the specter of the alchemical compounds within - what they could still possibly do - worried Al more than he dared to voice. Illness healed, wounds healed, it was that...that and her spirit that concerned him most.

* * *

Elicia slept for most of the day but Alphonse never left her side. Edward and Winry let him be for the most part, though Ed talked with the doctor again more than once about the possible dangers of the alchemy used on Elicia and methods for removing it. Ed would have preferred alchemy, but there wasn't an alchemist anywhere nearby with the knowledge or ability to neutralize the compounds without possibly killing Elicia. That was a risk Ed was not willing to take.

"I wonder how Roy and Riza are doing," Winry commented as they sat in the hospital cafeteria with Tore a little later, eating. Al had declined to join them though Ed planned to take food back up to his brother after.

"I hope they've got a whole battalion ready to go and get those guys," Tore commented ferociously around a mouthful of sandwich.

"I don't think we'll be _that_ lucky," Ed admitted, much as he hated the truth of the statement. "The government brought us up here to try and find a way to bridge the gap between the alchemists and the military and people in Drachma, and all we may have succeeded in doing is cracking open a wider chasm."

Tore's triumphantly warlike expression sobered. "Oh...yeah. I hadn't thought of that."

"We need to work on your grasp of politics," Ed commented, taking a big bite of his own sandwich. "Remind me to add that to the regular lessons."

Tore groaned and rolled his eyes, but he nodded too. "You won't forget even if I don't," he pointed out.

"That's true," Ed smirked.

After lunch they took food back up to Al then settled into the waiting room again. Elicia was still sleeping but every now and then she cried out. Ed didn't have to guess to be sure she was having nightmares.

In the late afternoon, Roy and Riza rejoined them. Riza looked quietly speculative and irritated. Roy was downright pissed off. Very soon, Ed understood why.

"What do you mean _they're doing nothing?" _ Ed stared at Roy in disbelief.

Roy snorted and shrugged cavalierly, but Ed knew it was show. "The government of Drachma has no plans to move against the alchemists hiding in mountains. Winry, Riza, and Elicia were rescued unharmed..."

"You call _that_ unharmed?" Ed pointed in the direction of Elicia's room.

"They did not me!" Roy objected, holding both hands up in the air in front of him. "The girls are alive. As far as they're concerned it was a political kidnapping, thwarted, and there's nothing else to be done about it."

"They _said_ that?" Winry gasped, horrified.

"Not in so many words," Riza replied, sighing. "They say they will investigate the matter further to be certain that such kidnappings do not happen again by putting out more police, and apologize to us and the government of Amestris for the incident."

"All more police will do is catch the kidnappers," Ed grumbled, glowering. What good was that? The alchemists could always hire more lackeys to hunt down poor citizens for their experiments. "That doesn't even touch the alchemists."

"That's what I said," Roy nodded. "They still think they can find a way to make peace. Or at least, they're afraid to shake things up in the open with the alchemists too much. They're a bunch of spineless cowards."

"We don't have to agree with their decisions, Roy," Riza frowned at her husband.

Ed leaned against the wall, looking down at his own crossed arms as he pondered the situation. "We don't have to abide by them either."

"I don't like that tone, Edward," Winry's sharp response held a warning. "What are you planning?"

Ed looked up. Good, they were still alone in the small waiting room for this floor. "Just because they're not planning to do anything about it doesn't mean that we can't."

"But you saw what happened with_ just us,_" Winry objected immediately. "What's going to be different?"

Ed met Winry's expression with a cool, hard one of his own. "This time...we know there are no living innocents inside we can save. Those cells were empty. Those chimeras are beyond saving. It's full of alchemists doing atrocious things with alchemy and thugs who don't care who they work for. They're terrifying the people in the area. For the people, we take them out."

"And get a little revenge on the way?" Roy smirked.

"Justice, revenge, call it what you like," Ed shrugged. He was good with either at the moment. They needed to be dealt with and there were so many good reasons they could pick as they wanted. "And who better to deal with alchemists who can't follow simple laws of human decency than _us_?"

"The three of us will handle them easily," Roy agreed.

"Four," Tore replied, butting in, his expression grim. "They turned my uncle into a monster. I don't know if they did anything to my mother, but they've hurt a lot of people."

Ed nodded. "Three," he repeated softly. "Al's not going with us."

"Why not?" Roy looked startled. "We could use him."

Ed met his friend's eye with an even gaze. He hated to do this. For the moment he didn't answer Roy's question. "Three alchemists and Winry," he added, looking over at his wife. "Who better to mess with their equipment and engineering?"

"What do you want me to do?" Riza asked curiously. At least she didn't question his authority on this mission, or that he might have a good plan. That was good. Given her ankle was still sore - worse after all the running and rescue - Ed wanted her to stay put. He was sure Roy would agree.

"I don't care if you have to get him drunk off his gourd or shoot him in the leg... _keep Al here._ He's in no shape for this," Ed replied, answering both Mustangs' questions at once.

Riza's next statement hit its mark perfectly. "He's at least as fit for this mission as you are, Edward." Ed was ready for her though.

"Not up here," Ed tapped his temple with one finger. "I've see Alphonse truly angry a handful of times, but never like this. He's not thinking with his head right now."

"And you are?"

Ed grinned; aware he probably looked a little maniacal. "I do my best fighting when I'm pissed."

"Don't you think it would be easier to keep him here if he was the only one to watch out for Elicia?" Riza suggested. "If I stay, he'll know there's someone else and he may run off anyway. I'm _not_ going to shoot him."

She had a point there too. Still... "I don't think Al will think of that," Ed shook his head. "At least, not enough to leave Elicia alone, even for a few days."

"Do you really expect this to remain a secret?" Roy asked skeptically.

"It better, Mustang," Ed looked him in the eye. "He's got enough on his mind. Better we're gone before he knows what's happening. We'll leave early in the morning." He paused, looking around. "Unless you're going to argue with me about this while those bastards run free and have time to fix things up and make contingency plans."

There was a moment of open mouths that closed again and Ed felt a small twinge of satisfaction as Roy, Winry, and Riza all nodded. Tore looked downright eager.

"It's more expedient than arguing with the government," Winry agreed softly after a moment.

"Better to ask forgiveness later," Roy smirked. "Though Breda's going to have our heads when he gets a full report of the mess of things up here."

Breda..... "Has anybody talked to Central since this mess started?" Ed looked sharply at Roy and Riza.

Roy shrugged. "Your mission, _Fullmetal._"

Ed stifled the groan in his head. "I'll give him a call when we get back. Groves probably has, but if the publicity is even a quarter of what we got up here the last few days than HQ's got to be in a frenzy."

* * *

That turned out to be an accurate assessment. The Amestrians stayed at the hospital until visiting hours ended and then returned to the Embassy house for dinner. Al was so wrapped up thinking about Elicia that preparing for the next day's mission was almost heartbreakingly easy. After dinner Al vanished upstairs to his room and there was no difficulty in preparing. Roy explained the situation to Groves, who understood and promised not to breathe a word, but quietly arranged for them to take an available vehicle which would easily carry the four people going. Food was prepared for days of travel, money located for gas and other supplies, anything Roy and Riza decided they might need. Or Winry, who was clearly thinking of ways to destroy the lab without killing everyone inside. Tore vacated up to his own room and stayed out of the way.

Amidst the shuffle, Ed used the phone and dialed Breda's house directly. It was after dinner in Central too, so he was pretty sure that was the best place to catch him.

"Hello? Breda residence. This is Charisa speaking," a lovely polite voice came over the line.

"Hey kiddo," Ed replied, trying not to sound too tense about the conversation to come. "It's Fullmetal. Is your Dad there?"

From the momentary pause, Ed could tell she was surprised by the call. "Yes, Sir. He's here. Just a moment and I'll get him."

Ed tried not to chuckle at the reflexive _Sir_ with the clearly military inflection. He waited and was rewarded barely seconds later with a breathless "Ed? Is that you? What the hell is going on in Drachma?!"

Ed couldn't help but chuckle briefly. "Well there's a fine welcome." He sighed. Time to get back to business. "We had a little...complication."

"_A little complication_," irony and sarcasm dripped in Breda's tone. "The girls were kidnapped! I take it you calling means that's no longer the case?"

"If they were, I wouldn't be wasting the time chatting," Ed confirmed. "Not that Riza and Winry needed our help. They got free on their own and we picked them up in the middle of the night in a snow storm."

"And Elicia?" Breda asked the question Ed had left him open for.

Ed sighed. "We had to break into an alchemist's lab to save her. They tried to make her into a chimera."

The righteous anger on the other end of the phone was evident; the same anger that everyone who knew Elicia apparently felt, whether they thought of her as Hughes's little girl or Al's wife; friend, family, anything. That such a thing would be done to _Elicia_ of all people was enough to make any man mad. "What the hell? I thought the government was trying to work things out with the alchemists up there?"

"Well apparently no one's told the alchemists," Ed snorted. "That or they just don't care. The head of the lab, Tamirov's his name, seems to be the monster behind the madness. Groves and Roy and Riza spent the day sitting in on the government session. I'm sure things will be sorted out soon."

"They had better be," Breda replied gruffly. "Just don't start a war, Ed."

"Oh come on," Ed smirked into the phone. "I have no intention of starting a war with Drachma." Now, their _alchemists_ on the other hand....

Breda knew him too well; knew all of them. "Don't get yourselves killed and don't tell me what you're planning. I'd like at least some plausible deniability the next time I have to deal with diplomatic relations."

"Yes, Sir," Ed replied, knowing without hearing the exact words what to read between Breda's lines. Breda _knew_ that there was no way he couldn't expect Roy, Al, and Ed to deal with alchemists performing taboo transmutations. Making chimeras out of people might not be forbidden in Drachma, but that wasn't a government taboo; just one of conscience. "Anything else you want to know? I'm going to be out of communications for a few days."

"Not right now, though I think I already dread reading the report when you get back," Breda sighed. "I'm glad the girls are all right; the rest of you guys too. This is going to be a hell of a story isn't it?"

"Provide dinner and I'll give you one hell of a storytelling performance later," Ed promised.

"Done," Breda snorted a laugh. "Good night, Ed."

"Well that was vague," Roy commented from behind Ed as he put down the receiver.

"The less they know until we're done the better," Ed replied, turning to face him. "Besides, I want a few words with our _hosts_ when this is taken care of, and afterwards I'm not sure Breda will ever allow me to step foot out of Amestris again."

"Not with your running record," Roy sighed. "They wanted our advice on alchemists. They sure weren't listening today."

"You and Riza told them everything we saw in there right?" Ed asked as they moved into the living room.

Roy nodded. "Riza told them about the chimeras, the transmuted humans, the cells, equipment, everything."

"What I don't get," Ed dropped down on the couch as he thought, "Is where they managed to get it all. We've heard reports of people being kidnapped, but not of anything being stolen for supplies. They seemed awfully well equipped for alchemists who complain about lack of funding and supplies."

"Theorizing about conspiracies now are we?" Roy snorted, taking the easy chair.

Ed shrugged. "Well what's your suggestion?" If Roy had any better theories he'd love to hear them.

"Could be backers in a private sector," Roy shrugged. "The government isn't the only one with money. Hell, in Drachma it looks like all the real money's in the old wealth."

After the dinner - which now seemed an eternity ago - Ed had to agree that Roy's idea made more sense. "Still, I plan on having a little _chat_ with Elkhov when we get back. If he thinks just because he loaned us a truck and two soldiers that's enough to throw at the problem he's got another thing coming."

"As long as it's not your fist in his face," Roy smirked. He still didn't look pleased either though. "We'll deal with him after we deal with Tamirov."

"How many other alchemists do you think there are?" Ed asked, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Other than Tamirov, only two or three," Roy replied thoughtfully. "We killed two outright on the first raid. There were a couple of others out there with him, but I think they're substandard. They weren't very skilled and I think he's only taught them so much to keep them from being more powerful than he is."

"Figures," Ed snorted. "Good for us though." That would make them much easier to deal with. Tamirov was the one that worried him.

He and Roy went back and forth for a while on their observations of the laboratory and the best way to deal with destroying it. With Winry and Tore messing with the electrical system and gas-lines, and Roy's flames in conjunction, destroying the building wouldn't be too difficult. But Ed wanted to get some answers out of Tamirov first, and that meant a confrontation. Blowing him up without getting information would be a complete waste of an opportunity.

"I think that's about all we're going to get out of this," Roy yawned. "We're worrying it like an old bone at this point."

Ed nodded, yawning himself, and sat up. "I should head upstairs and get ready. Morning's going to come all too soon." Given the plan was to leave at four, very early indeed.

* * *

Tore was lying on his back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling of his room when he heard a soft knock on the door. "Come in," He called out. Whoever it was would have a good reason, and it wasn't like he had the authority to really order anyone around here _out_.

"Mind if I come in?" It was Fullmetal who poked his head in the door.

Tore sighed and shrugged. "No. Any particular reason?" His head felt stuffed full the last few days as he tried to absorb everything he had seen, heard, and experienced. The quiet was kind of soothing.

Fullmetal crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Just wanted to make sure you were ready for tomorrow." From his tone, Tore understood that he meant more than if Tore had packed enough warm clothes and supplies, or done his homework he hadn't touched since the women were kidnapped. Tore had actually tried, but hadn't gotten very far. There was just too much buzzing around his mind.

"As ready as I can be," Tore admitted, smirking. "Tamirov makes me sick. I can't wait to kick his ass for what he did to my uncle." He hoped Fullmetal couldn't tell how nervous he was.

"We all want to kick his ass for our own reasons," the older alchemist replied with a matching smirk. "I just need to know you've got your head on straight and you can handle the stress."

Well that was straight forward. "You think I can't handle it?" Tore asked, scowling.

"Did I say that?" Fullmetal rolled his eyes. "I'm asking _you_ if you can handle it. There's no shame in staying out of a mission that's over your head. I think it's well within your abilities, but I know how tough it is to deal with some of this stuff."

"What a pep talk," Tore sat up, legs crossed in front of him. He might as well be honest. "I've had nightmares about my uncle," He admitted with a shrug. "But who wouldn't right? I didn't freeze up then and I'm not going to now. We're gonna put those chimeras out of their misery and deal with the alchemists. I don't want to miss out on that no matter how creeped out I get."

Apparently that was the answer Fullmetal was hoping for. He smiled. "Good cause this is probably going to turn into a fight at some point."

Tore grinned. "Bring it! I'm tired of just sparring with you and True Soul and Ethan when he's around."

"Don't get too psyched up yet," Fullmetal chuckled, standing again. "We've got a few days before anything really happens. We have to get back there first. So try and sleep. You're going to need it."

When he was gone, Tore lay back down and tried to get comfortable. He felt a little better after the discussion. Much as he hated admitting it, he got comfort from knowing that his Teacher really did care, and that Tore wasn't the only one shaken up by dealing with things like chimeras. His uncle's eyes in that mangled creature's face gave Tore shudders and nightmares. The worst part though, was wondering just what _had_ been done to his mother, or if they had been separated. Tore was almost sure now that his mother was dead, but the mystery remained; when, how? He wouldn't grieve until he knew for sure.... He wouldn't _cry _until he knew.

* * *

Roy found it easier not to plan to sleep. Over the years he had learned that this was the best way to get himself relaxed enough that he might actually do so the night before a critical mission or battle. This evening he hoped the old trick would work like it was supposed to. Once he and Riza were packed, Roy swept his wife gallantly and playfully into bed and - careful of her ankle - lost himself in the only pastime that ever gave him _true_ pleasure outside of and _above _alchemy. Time with Riza was sweet and playful, yet excitingly satisfying.

"You're less...ferocious, than usual tonight," Riza teased later as they lay under untangled sheets.

"I don't need to be when you let me catch you so willingly," Roy chuckled; a tired, satisfied sound that faded quickly. "Besides, if I want violence and action I'll be getting enough in a few days. Not everything we do should be like that."

"Indeed not," Riza agreed softly, as if she sensed his shifting mood. "Be careful, Roy."

"I'll try," he promised, and it wasn't empty. He would _try_, but in these situations he knew that it might do no good. "I have every intention of coming back to you in a few days."

"Good, then don't die," Riza's lips quirked into a small grin. "I'd rather you come back to me alive and _intact._" The playfulness was appreciated; it was just what he needed tonight.

"My _dear_ lady," Roy nuzzled her neck, too tired for more, damn it. "That is one thing you will never have to worry about."  


* * *

Alphonse had no interest in what anyone else was up to tonight. He heard Roy and Riza on the other side of his wall - quiet as it was the place wasn't sound proof - but barely registered the sound. All it did was make him lonely and acutely aware that Elicia was not at his side but alone in that cold, sterile hospital room.

Even a full stomach was no consolation for an empty bed, an anguished heart, and a head full of thoughts and emotions and worries so wrapped up in each other he thought his head might explode. Al closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but every time he did he saw Elicia as he had when they first found her again, or just yesterday when she leapt away from him screaming in panic.

It helped that she knew him today; had sought his comfort. Still, he could only barely fathom how deeply she was hurting inside. They knew only the barest details of what had been done to her. Elicia refused to talk about it further. Questions led to bouts of sobbing that distressed Al, but the doctor seemed to find unremarkable and unproblematic. He said it was normal; typical.

If this was normal than Al definitely had no interest in seeing what abnormal cases entailed! He just wanted his wife to be all right; to heal physically and mentally and to be with him again. This wonderful vacation had become a nightmare he could see little way out of other than the hard, long road he knew was coming. It had been bad enough with Ed, and some of the other alchemists, and even Jean Havoc, when they had been captured, tortured for months, but not broken. Even Ed, who had been treated the worst, had not broken.

Elicia... Elicia was not that tough. As strong as her spirit was, Al had never had any illusions that his wife was a warrior. She was smart, funny, clever, and not afraid of anything that existed within their sphere of life in Central.

Nothing could have ever prepared her for this. Now, Al couldn't help but wonder if that was partially his fault. Not the attack - much as he wished he had been there - or what had been done - they could not have arrived sooner - but in preparing Elicia for the world beyond the safety of Amestris. Even Hughes's death was nothing more than a memory for her.

_Was_ there anything Al could have done to give her a better chance? He did not know. Now, he feared most only two things. The first was that the compounds in Elicia's body might still somehow be able to change her before they could find an alchemist skilled enough to neutralize them. The second was that she might not ever _be_ his Elicia again.

That thought left Al in knots; head, heart, stomach, muscles.... everything seemed tied in tangles and wrapped in undecipherable patterns, strangling him.

Yet from sheer exhaustion sleep came, bringing with it dreams that were often unpleasant, but not enough so to wake him.

* * *

Edward had just as much trouble falling asleep, though for entirely different reasons. He had lied before, plenty of times. He'd been a sneak, a thief, a cheat, and in those instances it had never actually bothered him. This however, was not quite the same thing.

"Your ears are spitting smoke," Winry commented sleepily, looking up from her usual spot in his arms. "Trouble sleeping?"

Ed sighed. "Some. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yes you were thinking that loudly," Winry smirked. "You keep fidgeting."

"I'll try and hold still," Ed promised, hoping she would slip back to sleep. He had no idea how she fell asleep so much more easily than he did. Probably from years of having to get up multiple times during the night to deal with children or patients - usually him.

"Something's bothering you," Winry didn't let his lack of a reason stop her. "What's wrong?"

"You're too damned observant, that's what," Ed tried to play it off lightly, but he knew it was too late. "I just.... I hope Alphonse forgives me for this someday," Ed sighed.

"Ah, guilt," Winry gave him a squeeze. "Are you rethinking bringing him along?"

"No," Ed shook his head. "Al should be here with Elicia. You've seen him. His mind's not on anything else right now and she's so shaken up she _needs_ him." Seeing Elicia quiver like a rabbit and panic so easily was painful, far from the spunky young woman, the confident adult, he was familiar with. "I really don't think he's thinking straight right now. You know how he gets when he gets really emotional." Ed still remembered Al's reaction when he thought Ed had lied to him about his memories all those years ago. More recently he remembered Al's reaction to having to blow the tunnels in Aerugo with innocents inside. His brother was more sensitive than a lot of guys. "Am I over-reacting?" he asked Winry. That was what really worried him.

Winry did not respond immediately, thinking things over and clearly considering Al's personality and the situation for herself. "No," she finally shook her head. "I don't. Elicia needs him more than the mission does, but he's probably going to be mad that we didn't tell him."

"Do you think he'd insist on coming?" Ed was sure of it, but he valued Winry's opinions. Often she was better at reading people than he was.

"He'd certainly try," Winry nodded, her hair sliding in silky strands against his skin. "He's going to be upset."

"He wants to go after them as badly as, or worse, than we do." It was bad enough that Ed had had to tackle him in the hospital when Al found out what they had done to Elicia. He didn't think Al was thinking any more clearly about the situation now. "I'm afraid he'd do something stupid."

"The decision is made," Winry pointed out gently. "Roy and Riza agreed to it too. If it were wrong, or we'd misjudged Al's mental state, I think at least one of us would have voiced an objection."

We; they were all in agreement and she put herself beside him in the decision. "You know I love you, right?" Ed asked, kissing her gently.

"I know," Winry chuckled as she closed her eyes and kissed him back. "Though I thought it was more _worship the ground you walk on." _

Ed smirked. "Dream on, beautiful."

"Only if you do too," Winry smiled. "I love you, too. Now get some sleep."

As they curled up again and Ed closed his eyes, he found that sleep came a little easier this time. He still felt guilty about the mean trick they were pulling on Al, but he did think, eventually, even Al would agree it was the right choice.


	10. Chapter 10

**November 15th, 1958**

Riza did not sleep again after the others left. Instead she took out a book she had brought with her on the trip to pass the time - and had so never gotten to it - made some tea, and sat down in the living room to read. Slowly the house came awake around her. She heard the sounds of breakfast being made and the Groves' stirring upstairs.

She was still sitting in the comfortable easy chair, her injured ankle resting on the cushioned foot stool, when Alphonse came downstairs looking bleary-eyed and a little bewildered.

"It's so quiet around here," he commented, rubbing his eye with one hand. "Where is everybody?" He smirked weakly. "Don't tell me they all slept in."

Riza had not been looking forward to this moment. She knew Alphonse was going to be upset when he knew the truth. "No. They went out."

"Out?" Al blinked, frowning. "Where'd they go? I thought we were going back to the hospital this morning."

"They went back to the lab." Riza had no reason to hide the truth, nor did she intend to lie to Al about anything.

The expression on Al's face shifted from confusion, to shock, to hurt anger. "They left...without me and you? Why the hell would they do that?"

"I stayed on purpose," Riza admitted, setting down her cup of tea.

Realization dawned. "I'm the only one who got left behind. So you knew? You knew they were leaving! Why didn't anyone tell me?" Al's fists clenched in frustration.

"It was Edward's plan," Riza explained patiently. "He, Roy, Winry and Tore are going back to find out anymore information they can get and destroy the lab permanently."

"I should be going with them," Al shouted, fully awake now! "And you still haven't answered my question. _Why didn't anyone tell me?"_

"Because you need to be with Elicia," Riza said calmly, refusing to raise her voice. She met his hurt, angry gaze with her all-business expression. "Because you're furious about what happened and you almost beat up Edward trying to go get vengeance less than two days ago."

"It's my right!" Al countered, voice getting louder. "That bastard _raped_ my wife! He tried to turn her into a chimera! He deserves to die!"

Riza nodded, sympathetic and saddened at the same time. "And this is why you and I are still here, Alphonse. You need to be rational."

"You said this was Edward's idea," Al snorted, his fists still tightly clenched. "But none of you trusted me even enough to tell me you were going. I didn't have a say in the issue."

"Would you have left Elicia alone for six or seven days?" Riza asked pointedly. "Would you have risked dying and leaving her alone, terrified, and hurt the way she is?"

She saw the faltering in Al's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak repeatedly, closing it each time as his emotions warred inside, flickering briefly across his face from time to time. "Fine," he growled, turning away. "It's too late anyway, right? I can't do anything but be a good little hostage."

"Oh, Al..." Riza sighed. "Please calm down. No one wanted to deceive you or to hurt you. We care about you and Elicia."

"Yeah I know." Al only looked partly convinced but at least he wasn't ranting now. That was the advantage of dealing with Al over Ed. Al calmed down faster. "So, does that mean we're stuck here or are we going over to see Elicia?"

"The car's ready whenever we want to go visit," Riza smiled gently. "Do you want breakfast? It sounds like it's almost ready."

Al shrugged. "Sure. I'd like to get over there as soon as possible though."

"I promise not to dawdle," Riza replied, closing her book and slowly getting to her feet. It took a moment with her ankle. Al came to her side, helping her up. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," Al's reply was gruff, but softer. He was still upset, clearly, but it wasn't in Al to not help when he could. That was a good sign. Riza just hoped that Elicia would be better today. Al was going to need all the cheering up and distraction Riza could manage for the next several days.

She still wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't try and go after the others.

* * *

Alphonse stopped arguing with Riza only because he knew it wouldn't do any good. Besides, it wasn't Riza's fault. Realistically, she was there because with her ankle she shouldn't be involved in the mission. She was doing what was wise and what she had apparently been asked to do. No, it wasn't her fault. It was Edward's fault. She had called it _Edward's_ plan. His brother was the one who had simply decided outright that Al couldn't handle the mission and had kept him in the dark. Not that he didn't feel betrayed by the fact that _everyone_ - including Groves he found out at breakfast - had known about this plan except for him!

He tried not to be sullen or uncooperative at breakfast. It might have been delicious, but Al didn't really register much of what went into his mouth. His thoughts were focused too much on the feeling of betrayal he couldn't shove away and concerns about Elicia.

When they were done eating, Al and Riza went over to the hospital to see Elicia. Al hoped she was feeling better today. Any improvement at all would be a good sign and he hoped it would help his mood.

It was not an encouraging day.

Elicia was awake when they arrived but Doctor Bure did not look pleased. ::I'm glad you're here,:: he commented as they arrived. ::She had an episode this morning and we're having some trouble getting her calmed back down.::

::What do you mean _episode?_:: Al asked sharply.

::She woke up screaming from her sleep and spent nearly twenty minutes trying to fight off even the female nurses,:: Bure explained patiently. ::She thought she was still captured.::

Nightmares, flashbacks. _Shit._ Al knew those symptoms all too well. Edward had suffered from them after the Xing War. Al had dealt with them himself after Aerugo; though his had been nightmares mostly, brought on by guilt and anguish. He hadn't suffered from the flashbacks Ed had described. ::Has she come around yet?:: he asked.

::Only in the last five minutes,:: the doctor replied. ::She's still rather distraught.::

Al wanted to cry when he entered Elicia's room. She was curled up on the floor again, huddled in the back corner, sobbing softly, her knees hugged tight to her chest. She still wore nothing but a hospital gown and a little wool cap they had given her to cover her head - for warmth and for the sake of dignity. "Elicia?"

She jumped, staring up at him, tears streaming down her face. Shame crossed those beautiful features and she looked away. "I'm...I'm so sorry!" she whimpered.

"What for?" Al approached slowly, grateful that from him, at least, she wasn't trying to bolt. "You haven't done anything wrong." He crouched down next to her. "You just had a bad dream. It's all okay now."

"It's… not okay!" Elicia wailed, breaking out in fresh hard sobbing. "I'm a....a complete basket case! _I hate this_!"

Al put his arms around Elicia on impulse and was relieved when she didn't pull away. She collapsed against him the way she had the day before and remained there for another ten minutes, just crying. Al soothed and shushed and tried to calm her. When she finally quieted he kissed her forehead. "It's okay to hate this...." he promised softly. "It takes time remember? You gave me everything after the war, and I'm here for you. Whatever you need, just please let me help."

"Oh Al," Elicia sniffled and for a moment he feared she would start crying again. "Thank you...."

"I'm here, my love." Al tenderly caressed her cheek with one hand, the other still around her thin frame. "Now, how about we get up off this cold floor?"

Elicia smiled weakly through her tears, nodding. "Okay."

Once Elicia was tucked back up in bed, Al stayed while the nurses came and did the work they had tried to do earlier that morning already. Still weak, still sick despite the lack of fever, Elicia no longer fought them. Instead she apologized profusely for her earlier behavior. The ever-patient nurses nodded, smiled, and told her it was all right. They brought food, but Elicia gave the tray one look and ignored it.

"You should eat," Al urged. Elicia had never been large, but she was starting to look gaunt.

"I'm...I'm not hungry," Elicia replied.

"I don't buy it," Al smiled, hoping she would respond. "Come on this looks umm.... edible." It was hospital food; he couldn't lie and say it looked delicious.

Elicia shrugged, but she reached for the plate and fork. "All right."

Al managed to encourage her to eat about half of the meal. He wasn't going to press further. Not too hard, not too fast. She seemed so fragile. "See."

"Yeah...edible," was her entire comment in response.

It was the first time in over twenty-five years Al could remember them ever having an awkward silence. "So...."

"Yeah?"

"I...I don't know what to say," Al admitted. The idea was overwhelmingly depressing.

Elicia's expression fell from wondering to sad. "Oh."

For the first time, in a long time, Al had no idea what to say to the woman he loved.

* * *

Riza tried not to be in the way during the day. She did visit with Elicia a couple of times, usually when Al was talking with the doctor or on the brief period where Riza basically kicked him out to make _him_ go eat. She and Elicia chitchatted some, about nothing serious in particular at first.

"Riza," Elicia finally asked her during her second visit, while Al was hunting down the bathroom, "Everyone else went after him, didn't they?"

Riza didn't have to ask who Elicia meant. "They did," she nodded. "How did you know?"

"They're not here," Elicia pointed out, "And... and Alphonse hasn't said a word about them all day. That usually means he's upset."

At least her reasoning was intact. Riza nodded. "They left this morning. They're going to try and destroy the entire facility."

"Good," Elicia replied with a forcefulness that apparently startled her. Her cheeks flushed pink. "I mean...."

"You mean you hope they give the bastard what he deserves," Riza smirked. "I hope so too. Don't worry; if anyone can handle him, it's Roy and Edward. They've done this before."

"So I've heard." Elicia nodded thoughtfully. Her eyes drooped a little and she shook herself. "Don't...don't tell Al I know. If he didn't want to ...to tell me I'm sure there's a reason."

"I won't," Riza promised, though she didn't really see it as a big deal. Still, she would keep her word. Al could tell Elicia for himself about his own anger at being left behind. She was sure that was why he hadn't said anything to Elicia; he hadn't gotten to make the choice after all. He was probably still dealing with his feelings on his own.

* * *

By the time they got back to the house in the evening, Alphonse was tired, irritated, and frustrated. He wasn't upset with Elicia of course; how could he be? But his poor wife's fragile sense of stability and safety ate away at him. Seeing her sobbing, wailing, even sleeping fitfully - she still dozed off often - made him want to cry again himself. They had stayed through dinner, until the doctors kicked them out at eight o'clock sharp just like they had the nights before.

Doctor Bure's words were, well, not discouraging necessarily, but nor did they lift Al's spirits or give him hope of anything resembling a quick recovery on Elicia's part. She woke again from her afternoon nap screaming about obscenities that made Al cringe and it had taken an hour to calm her down again.

By the time Al stepped in the door, he felt like a nervous wreck himself. There was not a word from Edward or the others when they returned. Al hadn't really been expecting it. No, there would be no word, not until they got back probably. Ed wouldn't bother to keep his brother updated on the status of the death of his wife's tormentor or the destruction of a den of alchemical horrors.

_Damn it, Brother! Why couldn't you have at least _asked _me if I wanted to go or stay? _Did Ed really think him that incapable? Even after all this time? Since when had Al ever been anything other than trustworthy on a mission?

He was too agitated to sit and try and make small talk with Riza and the Groves. "Sorry," he shook his head curtly at Riza's offer. "I'm not very good company at the moment."

"I understand," Riza replied softly before joining their hosts.

Al went upstairs, closed the door behind him, and dropped down on the bed. That lasted all of about ten seconds. He was...twitchy. He wanted action. He wanted to be doing something useful. He wanted _justice_! And here he was sitting around, useless as anything other than a comforting presence when they would _allow_ him to be in Elicia's company.

Lying down was getting him nowhere. Al tried pacing, he tried reading, and he tried taking a shower. Nothing could get his mind off the things that were bothering him. His head buzzed with too much emotion, too much information just...too much!

Al tried for nearly two hours to find a reasonable solution to his anxiety. Even Xing meditation techniques did little to help him find peace. He heard people come and go on the stairs and finally the house was quiet, but still he was awake.

Maybe a little alchemy practice? Al clapped his hands together and then touched them to the bedspread just to see if he could turn it into something more interesting.... but _nothing happened. _

_What the hell?!_ Al tried again, and again, before he came to another realization that almost made him yell out in frustration! _Ed! You really don't trust me do you?_ If he had, why had he hidden Xingese alchemy circles somewhere nearby? The transmutation cancelling circles were a clever little trick, but seriously irritating if he couldn't find one. This was not humorous, and he knew Ed hadn't done it to be funny.

It was too much effort to try and hunt down the circle. Al gave it a token effort before giving up. Ed would not have put it anywhere Al was likely to find it quickly, and right now he was too infuriated with his brother to care!

Sleep was illusive and Al didn't feel like chasing it. Finally, he just gave up. He got up, pulled a shirt back on with his shorts, and made his way downstairs in the darkness. Maybe there was something to eat or drink downstairs that would help settle things.

**November 17th, 1958**

Without getting lost, and with the roads cleared by days without snow and clever plows that Edward might have admired more had he been on another mission, it took only the majority of three days to arrive back at the alchemical laboratory up in the mountains. Winry was driving when they got within walking distance of the old fortress. They parked the truck well back out of sight so it would not be destroyed this time!

Ed hid it with a little alchemy and some rocks and the four of them carefully made their way back up the rocks, alert this time for guards. Surely there would be much tighter security this time. The same tricks would not work twice.

"There they are," Roy grumbled softly as they spied over their target from a new vantage point. It had taken longer but they had climbed all the way around to the western rock-face, the one above the lab and cells themselves and into which the building merged. The entry to the rock cleft that held the structure faced north, with the road bending around to meet it before heading Eastward in the direction of Petrayevka.

Ed peered down from the heights in the late afternoon sunlight, grateful for the ball of light behind them that kept anyone from looking their direction. The valley below was once more purple with shadows as it had been on their last trip upon their arrival. "Three men at every door," he confirmed. So far up, he knew they couldn't be heard.

"Good thing we're planning to come in through the roof," Tore smirked.

"Are you sure they won't see the light from the transmutation, Ed?" Winry asked softly.

Ed nodded. "With the sun behind us? They won't hear a thing and they shouldn't see the flare." He could make it possible for them to climb down the rock safely; even in the dark should it come to that. He suspected it would.

It just meant waiting for the right moment. As the sun came directly behind them in its descent, Ed clapped his hands together and knelt at the edge of the chasm. Slowly... slowly. He couldn't let it be obvious. It took over a minute but when he was done there was a very subtle stair that wound its way down the cliff face to the top of the building below. There were hand holds in the walls as well for safety. Ed would have liked a railing but that would have been ridiculously obvious. "We'll head down as soon as dusk falls."

It wasn't much longer to wait. Then with aching slowness, Edward going first, Roy bringing up the rear with Winry and Tore in the middle, they made their way over the edge and down the rock face to the building below.

The climb took longer than Ed would have liked. Hanging exposed on the rocks was not his idea of a good time, but in the near-dark conditions, moving carefully, they went unnoticed. Half an hour later his feet touched the top of the building, but Ed could feel it in both of his flesh limbs.

Without talking, they all went to work. Roy kept guard while Winry removed the top ventilation grate. Their first visit had proved useful and for that Ed was grateful. Winry's group had discovered the location of the main utility room. That was where Winry would be heading, with Roy as guard.

Edward and Tore had other business to take care of; Tamirov. There was more to it than that of course, but Ed hadn't felt the need to burden Winry with the details of just what else Ed was looking for.

He wanted another look at that alchemical laboratory. He wanted to know what _other_ atrocities Tamirov and his assistants were up to. Chimeras were one thing. Had they tried to take human transmutation further? What about attempts at making a philosopher's stone? There were no legends of the stone in Drachma. Or at least, there hadn't been when he was a boy. By now, surely that was no longer the case among alchemists.

There was no need for words as they slipped down through the shaft, which was the largest one available. A good thing too or Roy would have never fit through it! As it was, Ed and Winry found it snug. Tore was the only one who fit through easily.

They came out in the utility room itself, which was the whole idea. The lights in the building told Ed immediately that either they had fixed the electricity or they had a backup generator. Either way, whatever Tore had done last time had been circumvented. That was fine. The boy could always do it again.

For now though, they had a mission to complete. As Winry got to work on the gas lines, the boilers, and anything else she could get a hold of, Ed and Tore quietly opened the door and headed down the hallway towards the stairs they knew led down to the labs. If they ran into anyone they'd probably have to fight, but Ed was expecting that. This wasn't a social call and it didn't really matter how much damage they did. _So nice to not have to worry about that for once!_ Ed smirked to himself. It had been a long time since he had been able to just destroy something without getting in trouble for it.

It wasn't late, but apparently it was dinner time. The small dining room in the place was up near the front door and they had entered along the back half of the building. In the distance, behind them and to the right, Ed could hear quiet chatter and clinking dinnerware. He couldn't tell how many people there were, but they - plus the ones outside - made it unlikely that the labs were crowded.

If they were lucky Tamirov wasn't there at the moment and they could scrounge the lab in peace. Otherwise, Ed just hoped he was the only one in there. He was fairly confident that he could handle this guy on his own. Having Tore along just cinched things.

Their path was unblocked all the way downstairs, at least until they reached the bottom of the stairs. Ed didn't have to peek around the corner to know someone was there. In the quiet he could hear breathing, a shifting of feet; a guard then. With a soft tap of his hands, Ed fashioned a small smooth rod with a ball at the end out of the stone of the wall. He gave Tore a nod to wait, and stepped around the corner.

The guard had only time to register Ed's presence before he went down, first clutching his ribs, then unconscious as Ed conked him on the back of the head. That done, Ed paused, waiting to see if there was anyone else. After several seconds it was clear that no one else was coming. He turned around and motioned to Tore, who had his head around the corner.

The door to the lab was locked. Not a problem for alchemists. Ed let Tore draw a circle for the practice and transmute the locking mechanism. The door opened easily. Grinning at each other, the two men went inside, closing the door behind them.

Ed could scarcely believe their luck so far but the room was empty save for the Chimeras in their cages. "Let's see just what this guy's up to," Ed commented quietly to Tore.

The kid nodded, his eyes going unsurprisingly to the chimeras, especially the one that had once been his uncle. Ed left him be, going to the workbench that had notes open. They were in Drachman, of course, but Ed shook his head. They were books and, where there were handwritten notes, they weren't even in code! Scanning them quickly, Ed looked at the topics he could find; basic alchemy, crude and unrefined in most cases.

What Ed found the most useful was the small book containing what proved to be the notes on the chemical compounds the alchemist had used on the chimeras to _prepare_ them for easier transmutation.

There was very little on human transmutation besides that other than some old references to failed experiences by other Drachman alchemists and some minor references to stone research, but it seemed to be mostly questions about red water.

Ed stuffed the small book into his pocket. It could be helpful in treating Elicia and if he could pull all the man's research out from under him with one swipe, all to the better. Other than a couple of other old worn tomes detailing the rather unscientific history of Drachman alchemy, there was nothing here otherwise worth salvaging. Ed stuffed those in his coat pockets as well. "Find anything useful?" he whispered softly to Tore.

"Just this," Tore commented softly. Ed turned and saw him holding what looked like a silver chain.

"What is it?" Ed asked, crossing the dimly lit room to get a better look.

"It was my... my mother's," Tore replied, holding up the chain. At the end hung a small silver pendant shaped like the sun. "She said Dad gave it to her." It was tarnished now, and not high-quality silver to begin with, but Ed knew emotional value well outweighed monetary.

"Well it's yours then," Ed replied softly.

::Not that it will do you much good,.::

_Hell_. It looked like their luck had just run out. Or, perhaps not. Ed turned and smirked at the man standing in the doorway. Confident, arrogant, and with a stained coat definitely used for lab work, Ed was fairly certain that the alchemist he was looking for had just walked in. ::Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting you down, Tamirov.::

The alchemist snorted. ::You have some gall, saying such things while standing in _my_ laboratory. This is the second time, yes, that you have broken illegally onto my property.::

::Well aren't you so righteous,:: Ed shook his head and shrugged. ::Your work is a joke, Tamirov, and a sham. On top of that you've been killing innocent people. I just can't let that go.::

::Then why have you not attempted to kill me?:: Tamirov asked. ::Fear? Stupidity? Over-confidence?::

::Let's go with the third option,:: Ed snickered. ::I have questions. You have answers. Otherwise the rest of my team would have already blown this place sky-high without you ever knowing it was coming.::

::Rest of your team...:: Tamirov arched one eye-brow, scowling.

::Yeah, you think I came back from Petrayevka without full backup?:: Ed asked, sounding offended. It wasn't really a bluff. Winry and Roy were certainly full back-up as far as he was concerned! ::So you can answer my questions or we can do this the hard way.::

::We'll be doing that either way,:: Tamirov replied coldly. ::You're stuck in an underground lab with only one way out and an alchemist blocking the door.:

::Oh I'm scared,:: Ed quipped sarcastically. ::The question I have is simple really. What did you do to this boy's mother?::

Tamirov had clearly been expecting a question about his research, methods, or something of value. He harrumphed and his scowl deepened. ::How should I know? I've never seen the boy before.::

::You've seen my Mom,:: Tore replied in accented but understandable Drachman. He held up the pendant then pointed at the Chimera. ::That's my uncle!::

Tamirov's eyes lit up with instant recognition. The laugh that came from him sent a chill down Ed's spine. ::Of course! The Amestrian fool and his sickly sister. Very well, I shall amuse you with the tale before you die. You can take that knowledge to your graves.::

_And he called me over-confident?_ Ed let no outward sign show, but stood still. ::Well get on with it then.::

Tamirov smirked. ::When I was looking for new assistants I spread the word, covertly of course, that I would offer training and money for any who could provide me with specimens for chimeras. I know not how the Amestrian learned of my offer, but he brought his sister here to me, obviously expecting some reward. He had little talent, and I have no use for worthless drunks. His sister was ill, dying, and did not even survive her first treatment. In payment for wasting my time and resources, I took the man instead. As you can see, he well paid his debt.::

::You monster!:: Tore shouted, bolting towards Tamirov. Ed barely grabbed his shirt in time!

::Hold up there,:: he spoke sharply to his student. ::Not just yet.::

::Wise,:: Tamirov chuckled. ::The boy would be dead now otherwise.::

::From what you were saying, that's inevitable anyway,:: Ed retorted. ::You know this isn't going to continue right? I'm not leaving until your research and your facilities are nothing but rubble.::

::That's fine,:: Tamirov seemed unfazed. ::You won't be leaving at all.:: He eyed Ed for a moment. ::Judging from description, I place you as the Fullmetal Alchemist. Am I right? Your brother is reportedly taller.::

Short jokes? Now? This guy was one of the lamer adversaries Ed had ever faced. ::Your reports aren't entirely off,:: Ed replied with a sniff. ::But if that's the best you can do I think we're done here.:: He clapped his hands together and darted for the wall. "Come on, kid! We're out of here!"

"Right!" Tore bolted, but, to Ed's dismay, the kid ran _toward_ Tamirov!

There was no way Tore could get a circle drawn like that, but as Ed simply _removed_ the entire wall that ran along the hallway - eradicating the supposedly barred door - he shot the extra stone off at Tamirov. "Dodge!" he shouted, hoping Tore did what he needed to.

Tore's eyes went wide as Ed lost sight of him behind the rushing stone. Then Ed saw him slide underneath on the other side, coming up with a scraped rip in his pants but otherwise unharmed. "Owww," he winced. "I didn't know you were going to do that."

"Pay more attention," Ed retorted. Inside the round wall of stone that encased Tamirov he heard the scratching of writing. "Let's get out of here." Even as he spoke the wall glowed.

They ran for the stairs.


	11. Chapter 11

**Still November 17th, 1958**

"How much longer?" Roy asked Winry as she sat, wedged in between the electric generator and the gas lines that ran along the wall toward the heater.

"I'm almost finished," Winry replied. Tore's alchemy would be needed to really cook the electrical system but it was as messed up as she could make it on her own right now without turning the system off and alerting everyone that they were there. The gas system was cranked full open and the boiler was heating up fast enough it would blow in a couple of hours on its own. Fortunately, they had Roy to make it blow faster as needed. There would be no rush to get out; not until the last few seconds! "There," she removed the last bolt and wriggled back out. "When you guys hit this room the whole place is going to go to hell." If people fled, they would have a little time to get out. Winry felt bad about how many people would probably die, but warning was all they could give them. At least the facility would be destroyed.

She tried not to think about the already ruined lives of the Chimeras in the basement.

Somewhere outside the room, something exploded.

"That can't be good," Roy frowned. "Sounds like Ed's having all the fun."

"Fun?" Winry rolled Her eyes. "You're all crazy, you know that?"

"Sure we are," Roy chuckled. "The sane ones never get the girl."

Winry... was not in a position to argue against that statement. "We should get ready to get out of here." She stuffed the tools she had brought back in her pouch on her belt and stood up. "Should we go help?" Another explosion rocked the building and Winry braced against the wall as the _foundation_ shook beneath her feet! "Or maybe not," she rescinded the statement almost at once.

"They're using alchemy," Roy confirmed with a short nod. "Stay here. I'll see what's going on."

Winry did not argue. She waited, ready to make a fast break when Ed, Tore, and Roy came back.

* * *

Roy stepped out into the hall. He had barely gone three steps before Edward and Tore came barreling around the corner at the other end, running at top speed. As he spotted them, an alarm sounded loudly, echoing through-out the building. _Here we go._

"We got what we came for!" Ed shouted as they closed the distance. "Let's get out of here."

A moment later another man showed up around the corner, feet pounding as he swore angrily in Drachman. Tamirov was Roy's guess. "You sure know how to make friends, Fullmetal," he snorted, snapping his fingers and sending a flash of fire over his friend's head back towards the other guy. Part of the wall exploded from the heat, knocking Tamirov to the ground with concussive force.

"Watch it," Ed growled as he and Tore ran past Roy. "You almost burned my hair off...again!"

"You would have preferred something else?" Roy smirked as he followed them back into the utility room and closed the door behind them. Pressing his hands to the door he used the warmth around them to heat the metal and meld the door to its frame. He didn't dare use a life spark in here. "That should keep them for a while."

"At least until the bastard has time to draw a circle," Ed snorted. "He's fast. Let's get out of here and blow this place."

"Literally," Tore piped up.

Ed clapped his hands together and the stone of the floor below turned itself into steps, allowing them to climb back up to the ceiling grate they had dropped out of earlier. "You first kid," he gestured to Tore who scrambled up and vanished into the ducts. "Winry, you're next."

Roy watched as Winry climbed up the stairs and vanished above as well.

Something slammed into the door on the other side. Men started shouting, and Roy heard the sound of scribbling. "We're running out of time, Fullmetal," he snapped, waiting for the enemy to break through.

"Then get moving," Ed snorted. "If you flame anything in here that gas is going to blow and take us with it!"

Damn him for being right. Roy turned and ran up the makeshift stairs, crawling up into the duct again, not enjoying the sensation of having to squirm, wedged tightly in the space. He would never admit to being claustrophobic, but spaces where he barely _fit_ to start with made him uncomfortable and irritable at the least.

"Move it, Mustang!" Ed's voice came from below.

"Working on it," Roy growled. He could see the exit, barely. It was dark outside now. As he emerged, Tore and Winry offered him hands out.

Roy tried not to groan as he hauled himself up onto the roof. "Come on," he called back down. "We can't do anything till you're out of there."

"You think I don't know that?" Ed's voice echoed back up at them. "Get moving! I'll catch up."

"But Ed-" Winry started to object.

"Go!" Ed cut Winry off.

"Let's start climbing," Roy looked at Winry. Tore started for their stairs without arguing. "The boy and I can hit this thing from a distance well enough. If we're standing on the building when it goes we'll get caught in the destruction."

"I know that," Winry scowled briefly at him. Then she sighed and nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Edward was half way up the stairs when the door gave. He turned, hands together and his auto-mail transmuting into a blade before the soldiers even got in the door. To their credit, none of Tamirov's hired thugs balked at the sight of alchemy. Instead, they charged.

Ed leaped into the fray, chopping guns into useless bits first then shoving against the men who threatened to overwhelm him, using anything and everything he could in the room to stay above them or out of reach. It was difficult in small quarters. ::Come on,:: he smirked. ::Is that the best you've got?::

::Kill him already!:: He heard Tamirov's voice outside. But Ed had already knocked four men down groaning and no one dared fire a shot when they realized what room they were in.

Ed dodged a swing from one guy using his now-useless rifle as a club and slashed through one of the gas lines. ::Lighten up!:: he laughed, darting for his stairs and leaping upwards, grabbing the edge of the shaft and hauling himself up, kicking hard at one hand that attempted to grab his leg.

With gas filling that room, Ed knew he'd only have so much time before something blew on its own or he ran out of air. He scrambled quickly over and up, making it out of the shaft onto the roof with the sound of people on his heels.

There were also Drachmans on the roof! Or rather, almost. Ed saw them clambering up a ladder nearby. Leaping to his feet he took off running. He could see Roy, Winry, and Tore hurrying frantically back up the cliff. Fortunately going up was definitely faster than going down and Tore was nearly to the top.

A bullet whizzed by above Ed's head as he ran, then another. They were running behind him. He could hear their footsteps. In another few seconds they'd be in range of Winry and Roy, fully exposed on the cliff.

_Can't let that happen, damn it!_ Ed spun, hands going together in mid air, and dropped to the stone beneath his feet. The roof of the building rippled and waved underneath the squad of men running towards him. They shouted, startled and off balance, most falling to their knees. Then the stone seemed to roll, catching them up in a thin layer of stone like an Aerugean burrito, and they went tumbling off the roof, screaming!

Ed jumped to his feet and started running again, returning his arm to normal as he hit the wall. "Blow it!" he shouted up at Roy.

"Now's a fine time for that order," Roy growled back, though Ed could barely hear him for the distance and chaos. "When my hands are busy!"

"It's not that far to fall," Ed retorted, though he was more pissed at the missed opportunity. "Tore!" he shouted higher.

"Here!" the kid peeked over the top of the chasm.

"Light her up!" Ed shouted, scrambling as another bullet tinked off the rock just above his head. More men, less time.

"But what about you?" Tore objected.

"Do it!" Ed shouted, scrambling up the side of the rock wall as fast as he could, grateful for gloves that kept his hands from getting torn up.

Tore paused, eyes wide as Ed turned his focus back to the wall, hoping desperately he wasn't asking too much of the kid.

Out of the cloudy night sky above came a crash and the air seemed electrified as bright light painted the wall around him. _What the hell was that?!_ Ed didn't pause to look; he just kept climbing as behind him he heard the roar of exploding matter and a rush of heat. Rocks began to ricochet off the cliff face around him! Small ones bounced off his auto-mail or smacked into his other arm and leg.

Fire flashed down from above his head, illuminating the darkness again and Ed clung tightly against the rocks. Roy must have hit the top of the cliff. Everything was bathed in the glow of flame. Screams below were all he heard of the enemy now. The rocks had stopped flying.

Scrambling, Ed started moving again, aching and tired by the time he made it over the ledge. He was going to hurt all over tomorrow. Getting to his feet, he turned and joined Winry, Tore, and Roy in looking down.

Below was chaos.

Flames were gushing out the top of the building, fueled by the escaping natural gases; coming out the vent they had crawled out of and holes in the roof made by Ed's alchemy. "Some light show," he commented.

"I don't think they'll be doing much with it anytime soon," Roy commented as flames began to lick out the lower level windows on both sides. People were pouring out of the building, running for vehicles. "I'm glad we hid the truck."

"I think we should stay up here until they're gone," Winry suggested sensibly. Feeling the heat even this high up they weren't likely to freeze.

Ed watched them scrambling, driving away. There was nothing to be done to try and save the place really. He stepped away from the ledge. "Sounds good to me. No reason to go back to the truck till they're gone. Not a one of them seems to be heading in this direction."

"Why waste their time on us?" Roy snorted. "Cowards. Turning tail and who cares about the enemy, huh?"

Tore was still staring off the edge, focused on the destruction below. As Ed watched, Tore crouched down and placed his hands on a circle he had sketched in the stone at his feet. A second later a lightning bold darted from the clouds, striking the already burning building.

So that was how he did it earlier. Ed turned to his student eyes a little wide. "New trick?"

Tore smirked, though no amusement touched the boy's eyes. "I haven't had a chance to try it until now."

"Feel better?"

Tore turned and looked down at the burning laboratory. "Yeah, a little."

**November 20****th****, 1958**

The trip back to Petrayevka was almost disappointingly uneventful. The Amestrian group waited for a couple of hours before they headed back to the vehicle. By the time they left the area it was four hours after they had lit the place, and even in the night it was nothing but smoke and dim embers. Most of the exterior stone still stood but it wasn't worth salvaging, not in Edward's opinion.

They drove through the night, not daring to stop in any of the towns they passed. They didn't need Tamirov and his men - however many survived - recognizing them and deciding to get revenge. Fortunately they ran into nobody and were well back towards Petrayevka by morning. They stopped for gas and kept going, eating out of the supplies in the truck.

As Ed had expected he ached after a few hours of attempted sleep in the back seat of the truck. His muscles stiffened up, scrapes stung, and bruises from flying rocks were unpleasant. Still, it was all little discomforts and he refused to be a wimp and gripe about them.

He wished Tore would do the same. The kid had been sullen and grouchy by the time they got back to the van and griped whenever he was awake about being sore, tired, hungry, whatever might be bugging him. Ed did his best to be patient but the litany got old fast.

By the time they got back to Petrayevka late in the afternoon on the twentieth, Tore had simply sunken into silence, staring out the window.

"I imagine the government's in an uproar," Roy grumbled as they drove through the city towards the Embassy house. "First the kidnapping, then our running off for days for the rescue, then vanishing again for this. I doubt we're very popular at the moment."

"I don't care if we're popular," Ed frowned, glad Winry was driving as he focused more on the situation. "At least the situation's dealt with. I just wish we knew if Tamirov survived or not."

"Either way he's out his entire laboratory and inventory of supplies," Roy pointed out. "It would take years to work up a set-up like that even with funding from an outside source."

"Even our government did," Ed nodded, remembering getting a look at old reports on Laboratory 5 years back. Being a General as well as a State Alchemist did have some perks after all. "Let's get back to the house. I'll deal with Elkhov tomorrow if he doesn't hunt me down."

"That's right; it's your mission technically isn't it?" Roy replied smugly. "So does that mean you're taking the blame?"

"Every bit of it," Ed replied without hesitation. He didn't care who he pissed off at this point. _He_ was mad enough to split heads! "I'm looking forward to getting some straight answers out of the Drachmans about what we're doing here. Cause now it really doesn't look like anything they had in mind was actually going to do any good. I think we've been duped."

"Or at least invited without completely honest pretenses," Winry suggested rationally.

"You're spoiling my self-righteous ranting," Ed looked over at her with a quirked half-smile.

"I try," Winry chuckled. "I'm just looking forward to getting back to the house and taking a long hot bath."

"And having a good meal," Ed agreed. Cold food for the last few days, and not in large amounts, did not make him particularly contented, especially not after all the alchemy they'd pulled at the lab.

"And a good night's sleep that isn't in the seats of this blasted truck," Roy added.

"Hear hear!" Ed agreed. He glanced back at Tore, but the boy didn't move. Ed wasn't even sure he was listening and it worried him. But any attempts lately to talk to him had been met with little to no response if he wasn't complaining. Ed was worried about one other thing too; Alphonse. They had been gone for another week. How had Riza fared with Al since then? How was Al doing? How was Elicia?

When they pulled up at the house it was almost dinner time and Ed could smell something in the oven even as they opened the door. He followed Winry and Roy inside, with Tore trailing in behind.

Riza was sitting in the living room reading. She looked up when they came in, smiled, and got to her feet as Roy enfolded her in a warm hug. "I'm glad you're back safely," she said. "All of you," she added a moment later with a soft chuckle.

"We're glad to be back," Winry smiled back.

"Something smells fantastic," Ed commented.

Riza smirked. "I've been informed there's a roast in the oven as well as fresh dark rye bread."

No wonder he was drooling. Ed turned to Tore. "Sounds good doesn't it, kid?"

The normally voracious teenager shrugged. "Sure." He turned and headed upstairs.

Riza looked startled. "Is he all right?" she asked.

Winry spoke up before Ed could open his mouth. "We finally found out what happened to his mother" she said softly. "It was a rough trip."

Riza nodded, her expression one of sympathetic understanding. "I see."

Ed looked around. "Where's Al?"

Riza looked in his direction. "Being a good hostage," she replied flatly.

"He hasn't tried to make a break for it?" Ed asked.

"I threatened to have the government sanction us both under house arrest for safety sake which would keep him from seeing Elicia." From the sarcasm, Ed could tell Riza hadn't actually made the threat, but the point was made; Al hadn't tried to do anything stupid.

"So what's he been doing when you're not at the hospital?"

Riza shrugged. "He's upstairs brooding."

"Has he eaten anything?"

"That hasn't been a problem," Riza said with an odd smirk.

Somehow Ed didn't find that reassuring. "Is he sober?"

He found her "doubtful," even less reassuring.

With a heavy sigh, Ed nodded in resignation. "I should go talk to him."

"Yes, you should." It sounded like something Izumi would have said.

Ed headed up the stairs himself and knocked on Al's door. He waited for several seconds but heard nothing. He knocked again. "Alphonse?"

"Go away."

Well that was encouraging. Ed steeled his courage - finding it ironic that facing Al's anger at him was more nerve-wracking than going into Tamirov's lab - and opened the door. "I don't think so."

While Ed knew that Riza and Al had spent a lot of time in the hospital visiting Elicia, he wasn't surprised that the room looked as if someone spent way too much time in here. Ed suspected that if the Embassy hadn't had the women who worked here the room would have looked much worse.

Even though it wasn't dinner time yet, there were a couple of old plates stacked on the desk. The bed sheets were rumpled but the bed didn't look slept in. The usual signs of Al when he was upset. What made Ed hurt inside though, was Al standing by the window staring out at snow that had started falling not long ago, and the half-empty bottle on the window sill.

"I told you to leave," Al replied without turning around.

"Well I'm not going to," Ed replied firmly, though without his usual sardonic tone. "We need to talk."

"So _now_ you want to talk?" Al snorted softly.

Ed hesitated, unsure how to approach the situation. He really didn't want to get in a fight with his brother. "Yeah, I do."

Silence stretched out for over a minute. Finally, Al shifted his weight on his feet and replied quietly. "What happened to working together, Edward? You didn't trust me enough to even tell me you were going to take out the man who _raped and tortured my wife. My_ wife, Ed. You never gave me a choice about going with you."

Ed couldn't argue with the facts. "Your mental state doesn't seem to have improved," he pointed out calmly. "And you would never have left Elicia in the hospital. How's she doing?" If she were doing _well_ Ed had no illusions that Al wouldn't be handling this better.

"She's stronger," Al replied uninformatively before adding a little more information. "She's gotten over being sick after all the exposure. The bruises are healing."

That was it. Ed waited but got nothing else. "So what's got you up here doing a lousy imitation of me?"

That finally made Al turn around, and Ed flinched when he saw Al's blood-shot, tired eyes, the anguish there. His brother didn't look like he'd slept much lately; or at least, not well. "Take a wild guess."  
Stunned, Ed opened his mouth to reply… then shut it. No, Al wasn't pride-fully pretending he didn't want his older brother's apology or sympathy. He really _didn't_ want Ed here. "I'm sorry, Al." He turned and left the room.

Outside in the hall, Ed leaned against the wall, feeling oddly overwhelmed by an anguish that tightened his throat and the guilt he had tried not to think about since he had made the plan in the first place. He had been prepared for Alphonse to be pissed at him. They'd gotten in fights often enough their whole lives, over some stupid things sometimes too. But never had it come to a point where Al had ever looked at him like that... it wasn't even an expression Ed could put into words.

Feeling depressed and tired, Ed headed back downstairs. Dinner was just coming out and being placed on the table. Roy, Riza, and Winry were already sitting there. Apparently the Groves' were out this evening.

"How's Al?" Winry asked as he sat down next to her.

"He's... tired." Ed couldn't tell her anything more, not now. The look on Riza's face just made him feel worse. She wasn't upset, but she looked rather knowing. Of course, she'd had to deal with Al for days. "So how's Elicia?" he asked, looking at Riza directly. "Al didn't want to talk about it."

Riza finished serving herself up vegetables before answering. "She's still having a difficult time emotionally," she said carefully. "She cries often, and feels guilty about how she can't control it and how it upsets Alphonse. The difficult part though is she's been having flashbacks worse than yours."

Ed swallowed a bite of meat, though he almost choked on it. "That bad?"

Riza nodded. "Almost every time she falls asleep that's been what wakes her. Nightmares, and sometimes flashbacks when she's awake to what Tamirov did to her. It frustrates them both. Other than those, the doctor says she's about ready to be discharged. There's nothing else they can do for her physically."

That was what was really bothering Al. Ed knew all too well how disorienting and terrifying flashbacks could be; as bad as the original torture, embarrassing, and he remembered the guilt he felt every time someone else had to put up with him when he was a real mess. There was no cure but time, understanding, and working through the fear. "She'll probably be happy to be out of the hospital," he commented. "I think we'll all be happy to get home."

"Hopefully the safety of a familiar setting will help," Winry agreed.

"It should," Ed nodded. He had definitely felt better being home himself, away from the battlefront. He just hoped Elicia was more patient with herself than he had been in dealing with his issues. Fortunately she was more patient in general. "I think we should finish dealing with the government and get out of this place."

"You won't hear me arguing," Roy snorted. "Though I suspect we've outstayed our welcome already with this latest stunt."

"We should figure out exactly what we're going to tell them," Ed sighed between bites. He wouldn't take back what they had done for the world, but he wasn't looking forward to facing Elkhov and the rest of Drachma's military tomorrow when he explained it all and demanded some answers of his own.

* * *

While Edward and Roy were wrapped up in political discussion after dinner, Winry prepared a tray and took it up to Tore's room. She had a pretty good idea of what was bothering the boy. Not that it was difficult to figure out. She knocked at the door and got only a non-committal grunt in reply. Taking it for assent, Winry opened the door. "Tore? Are you hungry?" She stepped inside.

It was not an unfamiliar sight. The thirteen-year-old lay sprawled on the bed on his stomach, a pillow clutched to him, staring at the wall. Winry could barely see his face, but she didn't need to.

Tore shrugged. "Not really," he replied softly.

Winry set the tray down on the small desk in the room and went to the bed, sitting down next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?" he replied.

"About what's bothering you." Winry was not deterred. She reached out and placed one hand on Tore's back. "You've been upset since we destroyed the lab."

Tore twitched under her hand but did not try to shake it off. Instead he glanced over his shoulder at her. "What if I don't want to talk?"

"Then I'll leave," Winry replied gently, "if that's what you want."

Tore sat up as she moved to stand. "No! Wait I...." He looked so lost. "Please don't."

Winry rested her weight back on the bed. "All right." She let him take the lead.

For several long seconds Tore seemed unsure how to proceed. He was clearly battling within himself, wanting to talk but maybe not entirely sure how or what to say. "I feel...guilty," he finally said. "All those poor chimeras and we... we killed them. There was nothing we could do for them." He sat up, crossing his legs under him as he sat at the edge of the bed next to her. "Even Flame and Fullmetal couldn't fix them."

Winry put her arm around his shoulder, a natural instinct on her part. Again, Tore didn't shake it off. "I'm sorry too," she admitted. "But they were suffering, Tore. Tamirov didn't care about them except for the power they represented for him." Winry had never seen the chimeras Ed and Al faced years ago, but seeing them now, she understood the horror and disdain for which they spoke of alchemists who created them; knowing the pain their subjects were in. It was why neither of the boys had ever attempted to make one. "I'm sorry about your uncle."

"I'm not," Tore surprised her with vehement distaste. "I was at first but... but he _sold_ those bastards my mother!" His voice broke and with it his resolve. Tears streamed down the boy's face and he leaned into Winry's side, crying. Winry brought her other arm up around him into a hug.

They stayed like that for several minutes. Tore working through the grief Winry had known to be there, and she held him, supporting him as she had her own children, and Ed and Al before them. She simply waited, letting Tore give release to the feelings he had tried to hold back for so long. There was no more mystery. The truth had been found and it was horrible.

Winry knew that feeling of loss.

Finally, Tore's sobs quieted and he looked up at Winry with dark wet eyes. "I'm sorry," he sniffled. "I don't mean to seem ungrateful. I mean...you've taken care of me and..."

"But you were hoping to find your mother," Winry finished the thought with a gentle smile. "There's nothing to feel bad for. Ed and I love you, but everyone was hoping you'd be able to find her."

Tore seemed mildly stunned by her admission of how much she and Ed cared for him, but he was too wrapped up in emotions to process everything, or so she suspected. "Thank you," he finally replied softly. "So I... I can still live with you?"

"Of course you can," Winry said as she loosened her hug, sensing he wanted to sit up. "It's your home too for as long as you want it to be."

Tore did sit up, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and trying to salvage his wounded teenage pride. "I do," he nodded. "I...can I ask a favor, Mrs. Elric?"

"Sure," Winry said, wondering what he had in mind.

Tore fished the small silver pendant out of his pocket. "This... this was Mom's. The chain's broken."

Winry understood at once. "We'll get it fixed," she promised. "I know a very good silversmith in Central."

"Thanks," Tore said again, smiling a little. "I really appreciate it." He looked over at the tray of food on the desk. "Umm...so, can I eat that now?"

Winry chuckled. "You'd better. I don't think there's much left downstairs." She stood up to go and this time Tore did not stop her. She smiled as she watched him eagerly jump up and go for the food. There were too many young men in the world that had to grow up too fast for her liking. It was nice when she could make the ones she cared for feel a little bit better.


	12. Chapter 12

**November 21st, 1958**

Alphonse wished he felt more reassured by the fact that the hospital willingly discharged Elicia that morning. She was over being ill as far as that went and there was little remaining to show any physical injury or abuse save for her lack of hair. Still, it was a depressingly traumatic experience getting Elicia downstairs and into the car. It was little consolation that the Drachman government had picked up the medical bill as an apology. Elicia clung tightly to Al's arm the entire time, bundled in her coat and hat, staring nervously at any unfamiliar people, startling at sounds. When they got to the door she froze, standing ram-rod straight and still for five minutes before Al, Winry, and Riza together managed to coax her outside and the short distance to the car.

It was only once they were inside it and had pulled away from the hospital that Elicia seemed to relax at all. It was only mildly better getting her into the house. She seemed to be looking for attackers behind every corner. "It's all right," Al reassured her several times.

Inside, he helped her with her coat, but she insisted on keeping the hat on until they were up in their bedroom. "I think...I'd like to take a bath," Elicia said after a long quiet moment.

"Sure," Al smiled, taking it as a hopeful sign that she wanted to do something other than curl up in bed and hide. "You get ready and I'll draw the bath." He started to head for the door, but Elicia's hand on his arm stopped him. He turned around and saw her hesitant expression. "What's wrong?"

"I... Just wait a minute and I'll come with you," she said, then looked embarrassed. "I'm just kind of...jumpy right now. Please don't leave me alone."

Alone? They were perfectly safe inside the Embassy house and he was just going down the hallway to the bathroom on the same floor. Stifling a sigh, Al smiled patiently and nodded. "Of course. Whatever you want, Honey."

It only took Elicia a few minutes to change and wrap up tight in her bathrobe. The hat never came off her head. They went into the bathroom and Al drew the bath to the temperature he knew Elicia loved, added some scented oil they had, then stepped back as she stepped out of the robe and slid delicately into the water, using his hand as something to balance with. She settled in, then leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and sighed softly. "That...is heavenly," she said then. "I haven't felt truly warm in so long."

"Well you're warm now," Al leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Elicia's eyes popped open wide as she startled slightly. Then her face flushed and she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry I..."

"It's okay," Al reassured her again. He had lost count of how often he had lately but he was getting used to the idea that he would be saying it for quite some time. "You've been through a lot. It's my turn to spoil you, okay?"

Elicia's expression softened and for a moment Al feared she would burst into tears again but she didn't. "Thank you. Will you stay?"

"Of course I will," Al promised with a smile he hoped was reassuring. He did not want her to feel guilty about what had happened. He wanted her to heal, to regain her strength and her confidence. It wasn't her fault, but he knew she blamed herself for not being stronger or more capable, despite how ridiculous that idea was. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Al sat and watched as Elicia began to wash. She turned down his offer of assistance and, while it hurt a little, Al stifled the feeling of rejection. Of course she didn't want to be touched by someone else right now; even if it was him. "Where is everyone?" Elicia asked after a few minutes.

"Winry and Riza are still here somewhere," Al shrugged. "Roy, Ed and Tore went over to the government district to have some words with Elkhov." He didn't say anything else for fear of upsetting her. "We're going home tomorrow," he informed her instead, hoping the good news would make her feel better.

"Tomorrow?" Elicia looked startled. "But what about the mission?"

"That's what Ed and Roy are finishing up," Al replied. Roy had invited Al along, but he had declined so he could be with Elicia. Al found it irritating still that it wasn't Ed who had asked, but he supposed that might just be coincidence, not by design. "We have train tickets to head home in the morning."

He had hoped for a happier expression. Elicia looked scared. "But... but we'll be on the train with all those people I...." she looked away from him then, turning sharply. "Never mind."

Al reached out and took her left hand. "No, I can't. You're hurting. It will be perfectly safe, Elicia, I promise. I'll be there, and Winry and Riza and Roy and Ed and Tore. You'll be protected and we've got a private berth for just you and me. You don't have to leave it if you don't want." Except for restrooms and the like, but that didn't need to be said. He just wanted her to feel like she wasn't going to get attacked again.

"All right," Elicia sighed, looking slowly back at him. "I...I do want to go home. I want to sleep in our bed and be safe in our house and see my Mom, and Alyse and... be safe." A single tear fell from her cheek. "I just wish I didn't feel like such a coward!"

"You're not a coward," Al stroked the hand he held. "You made it back to Petrayevka didn't you? You made it here from the hospital. No one's going to hurt you again. It'll just take a little time for your nerves to settle."

"I know," Elicia agreed though she looked skeptical. "I just hope it doesn't take a very long time. I don't like being like this. I don't like being a burden."

"You're not," Al insisted. "You're never a burden. You're my love, and I'm happy to do anything that makes you feel happy." He smiled weakly. "It was in the wedding vows after all."

Elicia finally squeezed his hand in return. "That it was. Well I guess I can't force you to neglect your duties as a husband... can I?" She joked timidly, but to Al it was already a vast improvement.

"No," his smile got a little bigger. "No you can't."

* * *

Edward, Roy, and Tore - who had insisted on coming along - were required to sit and wait for nearly an hour before Elkhov had time to speak with them in his office, and that was an hour _past_ the time Ed had bothered to call and schedule! He was not only angry and frustrated, but a little stir-crazy by the time an aide came out and motioned them inside.

::Well that took long enough,:: Ed growled at Elkhov when the door closed and the three of them were alone with the man. ::You owe us an explanation Elkhov! We came up here because your government asked us to help you come up with a plan that would help mend the rift between alchemists and government up here, encourage working together, and improve the situation. From what I've seen the alchemists around here want nothing of the sort! On top of that, you're letting them get away with kidnapping the destitute and using them for inhumane experiments! So what is this really about? Do you want a way to work _with_ alchemists or to_ control_ them?::

Elkhov's expression went from concerned to perplexed to angry by the time Ed was finished. ::Now just a moment!:: he bellowed. Ed wasn't even remotely intimidated, but it was the first time he'd seen Elkhov angry. ::You go too far, Elric,:: he growled. ::At least hear the issues before you go laying accusations like that at our feet!::

::Fine, explain,:: Ed crossed his arms and stood there, waiting. This had better be good!

Elkhov was still glowering and standing behind his desk, looking down at Ed. He did not sit. ::As you may have noticed, the government is of two minds about the alchemists in this country. Myself and Chairman Akhatova are both in favor of a peaceful solution. However, there is a large portion of the conservative old blood that would rather see alchemists wiped out or kicked out of Drachma entirely. This hostility and the general public fear have lent the alchemists mystery as well as ammunition and reason against us. Do you think I _like_ having to placate the people with the wealth and influence to cause another political upheaval if they are too displeased? It hasn't been that long since the old monarchy was overthrown - not in the grand scheme of things. Everything must remain in careful balance or we will throw Drachma back into chaos and destruction. I doubt Amestris wishes an unstable nation on a long neutral border any more than anyone else.:: He looked away from Ed then and glanced at Roy. Ed glanced in the same direction and saw a knowing look in his fellow alchemist's face.

::You have a point," Ed replied begrudgingly. ::But that doesn't explain why you let these kidnappings go on like this, and these alchemists go about experiments that no sane government should allow.:: Theirs had once; it hadn't been sane then.

::We had not located them for more direct negotiations,:: Elkhov replied. ::They hide well in the mountains, as you have discovered, and have turned down any offers to this point. Kidnappings are a matter for the police and they have been on those. Obviously getting back the victims has not been a task feasible once they are out of Petrayevka. You cracked that ring as well, as Mustang reported,:: he nodded in Roy's direction again. ::For that Drachma owes you some gratitude. The kidnappings should stop now. However, your actions beyond that point have enraged a large portion of the government.::

::What should we have done?:: Ed snorted. ::Left our wives in Tamirov's hands? Let Elicia get turned into a chimera or die in the attempt?::

::I mean after that,:: Elkhov retorted sharply. ::The rescue was supplied and staffed with military personnel.::

::Two men,:: Ed sniffed, unimpressed. It had been better than nothing, but far less than they really could have used.

::And a truck we are not asking you to pay for,:: Elkhov smirked humorlessly. ::It was your choosing to go outside of your position as guests of the Drachman military and destroy the alchemical laboratory, attacking Drachman civilians - however crooked - on Drachman soil without the support or approval of the government.::

::Is that what you told Breda?:: Ed asked. ::We weren't acting as Amestrians, Elkhov. We weren't acting as your guests or consultants. In case you have forgotten, Mustang and I - and my brother - are all alchemists. State or otherwise, alchemists are supposed to work for the people, not use them, and who but other alchemists can keep them in check? We saw a threat to the people - and a lot of your people were afraid of Tamirov and his men for very good reasons - and we dealt with it.::

::Tell the old blood and the rest of the government to make that distinction.:: Elkhov clearly disliked where this conversation was going as much as he had their actions. ::You have very likely just set us back months of negotiations, both between government factions and with any other alchemists out there.::

::I disagree,:: Roy startled Ed by stepping in smoothly. ::You have just proven to the alchemists of Drachma that they are not invincible, nor will their mysterious status protect them and allow them to carry on abhorrent actions. Now is the perfect time to offer terms for working together in place of antagonism. They gain more, including safety, by not antagonizing you further.::

That finally made Elkhov pause. ::_You_, both of you, will explain this in front of the Council in their meeting this afternoon.::

::Gladly,:: Roy nodded.

::Sure.:: Ed didn't feel like arguing with Roy when they were both arguing with Elkhov, who at least seemed inclined to believe Roy's idea that this might be the most convincing thing that could have been done towards finding neutral ground and maybe a way to get the alchemists to work with the government. It was twisted logic, but Ed understood why Roy was considered nearly the diplomatic genius that Breda was a tactical one. ::But you let us tell it our way. We'll give them what we came here for; our consulted opinion. We won't play into a particular agenda.::

::Deal,:: Elkhov nodded, then he sighed and seemed to deflate a little. ::This situation has been a mess for far too long. Do what you came to do, then please, take your wives home and see what you can do to keep things peaceful on your end. I will do my best to keep them so here. The last thing we need is to strain the relationship between our countries over this.::

::On that at least,:: Ed replied, ::we all agree.::

* * *

It was late in the evening - past dinner - when Edward, Roy, and Tore returned from the government district. Winry was glad to see them, but worried at the tired looks on their faces. "What happened?" she asked as they crashed out on the living room furniture.

"They just spent three hours convincing the Council that your actions against Tamirov were in Drachma's best interest and part of some excellent little-known government plan to convince the local alchemists that working with the government is safer and more profitable than continuing to be antagonistic," Groves commented as he came in behind them.

Winry listened, slightly awed, as Roy went into an account of just how they had done that, including a detailed account of what had been in Tamirov's laboratory, and also hinting that he had been controlling most of the hostile alchemists as well as performing experiments dangerous to Drachma as a whole. Tore had even explained - briefly - how his uncle had been tricked by them and turned into a chimera, his mother killed. The thirteen year old Amestrian boy made a convincing argument.

When Ed and Tore had finished their part in the explanation, Winry looked at them all. "That sounds like quite an afternoon. It was fairly quiet here."

"How's Elicia?" Ed asked without budging from where he lay sprawled on the couch.

"Nervous, but doing all right considering," Winry replied honestly. "She took a bath and she and Al ate up in their room this evening. She doesn't mind guests if you want to say hello tonight."

"All right," Ed replied noncommittally, and Winry couldn't help but wonder if he was reluctant to talk to Elicia, or if it was because Al would be there too. Winry hoped that Ed and Al worked out the tension between them soon for everyone's sakes. Al would forgive Ed with time, Winry was sure. He wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

"Well would you boys like something to eat or drink?" Winry offered, steering the conversation in a more productive direction. Riza and Mrs. Groves were out doing a few last-minute errands before they would all be heading home tomorrow. "It sounds like you had quite a day."

"Food please," Tore perked up immediately.

"I'll second that," Ed chuckled.

"Coffee please," Roy replied, sounding tired. Not that Winry blamed him given the performance they had all just pulled off, with Roy heading it up. International disaster averted, it was definitely time to head home!

**November 22****nd****, 1958**

Elicia gritted her teeth, screwed up her courage, and did her best not to tremble as they loaded into the cars, drove to the train station, and boarded the train for Amestris. She hated feeling so helpless, so weak and vulnerable, but the fear would not ebb, or if it did it would come back when she least expected it. She startled easily at sounds, distrusted crowds, and the worst part was when her mind would take her right back to Tamirov's clutches. The thought of his hands on her, and more... she did her best to avoid those thoughts. The flashbacks turned her into a trembling bawling mess and she couldn't afford that right now.

They made it to their berth without incident and Elicia felt mildly safer as the door shut behind her. The small space, with a small window out, felt cozy and safe, protected. Alphonse was with her. Edward, Winry, and Tore had the berth to their left, and Roy and Riza the one to their right. No one could hurt her. There was no danger.

So why was she shaking like a leaf?

Elicia felt a little more like herself than she had in the hospital. At least here, away from so many people speaking Drachman, less isolated from her family, it was a little better. Riza had also done something entirely unexpected, but much appreciated, the evening before. When Elicia got up this morning, Riza had presented her with a wig that she had spent hours looking for; one that looked much like Elicia's own hair, the style was even similar, though it was at a length where it flipped in playful layers brushing her shoulders. Elicia had worn it like that before. At least with it on she looked more like herself, and it made her feel much less self-conscious.

Now, the only damage left really was on the inside.

"Do you want anything?" Al asked as he stowed their suitcases. They'd had breakfast at the house. "A drink? Anything?"

Elicia smiled and tried not to look as flustered as she felt. Al was trying so hard to be strong, supportive, and spoil her rotten. It reminded her of when she was carrying Will and Alyse, or even of her own attentions toward _him_ when he came home from the war, emotionally wrung out and dealing with his own inner demons. "I'm fine for now," she assured him as she sat down on the bed and peered out the window. "How about we just spend some time together? Just us? I... I'd like to just snuggle for a while, maybe." Last night they had slept in the same bed, but there had been little enough of that. As safe as she felt in Al's arms, being touched much made her uncomfortable right now, and it made her feel terrible to see Al's face when she requested they not curl up together. It was a first, and she hoped it would only last a short time. She wanted being held by her husband to feel the way it was supposed to again!

Al nodded, smiled, and sat down next to her, holding out his arm and allowing her to lean against his shoulder. She leaned in gently, grateful that he was gentle and not pushy. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," he replied softly as he kissed her cheek. "There's nothing I'll ever want more than to spend time with you."

"Or I you," she replied. Elicia felt herself relax a little as the train jerked and began to pull away from Petrayevka. Safe...safe... she reminded herself of that, and hoped that someday soon, the rest of her would believe it.  


* * *

  
**Author's Note: **And...finis on another one! For those actually reading this the week of August 18th, 2009 (original posting), take note that Story 36 will begin next week. I've reserved this Thursday for the start of something Special. :) And yes, that means more FMA related posting.


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